By Oyintari Ben
Pakistan has made its first order for discounted Russian crude oil as part of a new agreement reached between Islamabad and Moscow, according to the nation’s petroleum minister, with one cargo scheduled to arrive at Karachi port in May.
According to Minister Musadik Malik, if the first transaction goes as planned, Pakistan will only be purchasing crude oil under the agreement, not refined oil.
Imports are anticipated to reach 100,000 barrels per day.
He declared, “Our orders are in; we already placed that.”
When asked to check the accuracy of the information from the sources, Malik responded, “Yes, it is accurate that we will only receive crude, not refined oil.
He stated that Pakistan’s Refinery Limited (PRL) would refine the Russian crude initially, with the addition of other refineries subsequently following a trial run.
Following negotiations on the agreement in Islamabad in January, Russian Energy Minister Nikolay Shulginov stated that oil deliveries to Pakistan might start in March.