Japan's Iran oil loading likely to continue through March -PAJ head

Fuji Oil Co (Shinagawa)

24/01/2019 07:42

TOKYO, Jan 24 (Reuters) - 
    * Japanese refiners will continue to lift oil from Iran
through
March after receiving a waiver from U.S. sanctions on crude
imports in November, Takashi Tsukioka, president of the
Petroleum Association of Japan (PAJ) said on Thursday
    * Japan resumed oil liftings from Iran this month after
refiners
Fuji Oil Co Ltd  5017.T  and Showa Shell Sekiyu KK  5002.T 
loaded cargoes onto a tanker that is expected to arrive in Japan
on Feb. 9  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL3N1ZL2Y0
    * Japan's oil refining industry will continue to ask its
government to seek an extension of the U.S. sanctions waivers
after the initial 180-day exemption is over in May, he said
    * Japanese refiners will likely be able to secure
alternative
supplies from other Middle Eastern countries, given their
friendly relationships, even if the exemption is not extended,
he said
    * Japan's Idemitsu Kosan Co Ltd  5019.T  plans to buy the
remainder of its contractual volumes of Iranian oil between
February and March, said Tsukioka, who also serves as Idemitsu's
chairman
    * Idemitsu is likely to renew its term contracts for Iranian
oil
although details have not been decided, he said


 (Reporting by Yuka Obayashi; editing by Christian Schmollinger)
 ((Yuka.Obayashi@thomsonreuters.com; +813-6441-1798; Reuters
Messaging: yuka.obayashi.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))