Japan Seeking Alternative Routes for Crude Oil Procurement

Tokyo, April 3 (Jiji Press)--As the effective blockade of the Strait of Hormuz continues, efforts are underway in Japan to establish alternative routes for transporting crude oil from the Middle East.

The Japanese government and oil companies are considering diversifying crude oil procurement sources, while shipping companies are prepared to respond to requests for transporting oil from outside the Middle East.

Japan relies on the Middle East for more than 90 pct of its crude oil imports.

Currently, Saudi Arabia's Yanbu port on the Red Sea coast and the Fujairah port in the United Arab Emirates, just outside the Strait of Hormuz in the open sea, can be used to ship crude oil without going through the strait, although the capacity is limited.

Late last week, a tanker carrying crude oil from Yanbu arrived in Ehime Prefecture, western Japan. The oil passed through the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, which connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea, with transshipment in Malaysia.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]