Kuwait's crude oil exports to Japan hit 7-month high

TOKYO, Dec 28 (KUNA) -- Kuwait's crude oil exports to Japan in November hit a seven-month high of 8.57 million barrels, or 286,000 barrels per day (bpd), but remaining Japan's third-biggest oil supplier, government data showed Friday.
The volume of Kuwaiti oil bound for Japan jumped 19.3 percent from a year earlier, up for the second month in a row, the Japanese Natural Resources and Energy Agency said in a preliminary report.
The figure was the highest since April, when it recorded 8.77 million barrels (292,000 bpd).
Japan's overall imports of crude oil shrank 6.2 percent year-on-year to 3.12 million bpd for the first decline in two months. Shipments from the Middle East accounted for 85.7 percent of the total, down 5.1 percentage points from the year before.
Saudi Arabia remained Japan's No.1 oil supplier, although imports from the kingdom plunged 16.9 percent from a year earlier to 1.15 million bpd, followed by the United Arab Emirates with 884,000 bpd, up 6.8 percent.
Qatar ranked fourth with 269,000 bpd and Russia fifth with 170,000 bpd, respectively. Japan is the world's-third biggest oil consumer after the US and China. (end) mk.mb