Import of base oils
Import of base oils – With a turbulent market and concerns about supply due to the maintenance shutdown of the Brazilian refineries Reduc in Rio de Janeiro and Mataripe in Bahia, the import of base oils surged in October, reaching a volume of approximately 111,700 m3 and an expenditure of around US$106 million. The total volume imported this year stands at 622.5 thousand m3, representing a growth of 9.3% compared to the same period last year.
A large number of ships arrived at the ports of Rio de Janeiro and Santos in October, loaded with basic lubricating oils, primarily destined for major distributors of fuels and lubricants.
The United States was responsible for more than 71.5% of the oils sent to Brazil, followed by Algeria with just over 6.6%, India with 5.4%, South Korea with 3.2%, Malaysia and Qatar, both with 2.9%, Bahrain with 2.8%, Singapore with 2.4%, and the rest distributed among 19 countries from various regions.
According to information from Petrobras, the duration of the shutdown of Reduc’s Train 1, initiated in October, is two months, and Train 2 continues to produce normally, in addition to having a safety stock. Nevertheless, the market showed some nervousness with the initial difficulties observed, and this directly impacted the volume of imports.
