Leading Japan-based refiners Idemitsu Kosan and JXTG Nippon Oil & Energy have tightened control over the acceptance of oil tankers in the wake of the Covid-19 outbreak, reports Platts.
Idemitsu Kosan told S&P Global Platts on Friday February 14th that it had tightened its control over accepting crude oil and products tankers.
The company’s tightened scrutiny also applies to crews on board the tankers.
Idemitsu did not see any immediate impact on its stable oil supplies.
Japan’s largest refiner JXTG Nippon Oil & Energy has also started checking records of all ocean liners, including crude, oil product and petrochemical tankers, it accepts upon entry into Japan to determine whether these ships had called at any Chinese ports in the previous two weeks. JXTG is also checking the physical well-being of the crew on board the ocean liners from China. Should it find any crew in poor health, the company will inform Japan’s quarantine stations as to whether to accept the ships at Japan’s ports.
Idemitsu Tanker has a fleet of eight management ships, which includes two VLGCs, 15 VLCCs and four VLGCs on time charter. JXTG;s JX Ocean has a fleet of 13 crude oil tankers, 10 LPG carriers, 18 chemical tankers, three product tankers, one asphalt tanker and nine bulk carriers.
The Japanese government is tightening its control over the entry of foreign nationals who have visited certain parts of China in the previous two weeks. Japan on Thursday banned the entry of non-Japanese passport holders who had visited Zhejiang Province in eastern China in the past 14 days upon arrival in
Japan or holders of passports issued by the province. This followed a February 1st ban on foreign nationals who had visited the Hubei Province in the previous two weeks or passport holders issued by the province in central China.
Zhoushan is a major port in the Zhejiang Province, where Sinopec and Zhejiang Petroleum and Chemical receive their crude imports and load their product outflows. Zhoushan also receives imports for the refineries Zhenhai Petrochemical, Jinling Petrochemical, Shanghai Petrochemical and Yangzi Petrochemical.