Azerbaijani Oil to Arrive in Japan as Early as Tues.

Tokyo, May 11 (Jiji Press)--A tanker carrying crude oil from Azerbaijan is expected to arrive in Japan as early as Tuesday, the industry ministry said Monday.

This is Japan's first oil import from Central Asia since the Strait of Hormuz was effectively closed following the U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran, according to the ministry.

The tanker is carrying about 45,000 kiloliters of crude oil, less than half of Japan's daily oil consumption. It will be received at ENEOS Corp.'s Negishi Refinery in Yokohama, south of Tokyo.

Oil from Azerbaijan is often transported by pipeline to a neighboring country, then loaded onto tankers and shipped through the Black Sea, the Mediterranean Sea and either the Red Sea or around the Cape of Good Hope.

Japan is working to diversify its crude oil sources following the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, through which over 90 pct of its crude oil imports used to pass.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]