India’s Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited (MRPL) plans to resume crude oil imports from Iran because it has found no other alternative, media reports said.

The MRPL will begin imports from August after it halted the procedure for four months, Reuters reported.

The Indian oil giant aims to import about 80,000 barrels per day (bpd) of crude from Iran in the current fiscal year. It would ship in up to four Aframax cargoes.

Managing Director of the MRPL P. P. Upadhya recently said the refinery stopped imports because local insurers said they could no longer cover plants that process Iranian crude.

He added that MRPL has secured local reinsurance for claims of up to 5 billion rupees (over $83 million).

India continued crude imports from Iran despite the harsh western sanctions imposed against the oil-rich country.

India’s crude oil imports from Iran have increased by 21.1 percent in June 2013 compared to a year earlier despite the US-led sanctions imposed on the Islamic Republic's energy and financial sectors, recent data showed.

Essar Oil Ltd purchased 138,900 barrels per day (bpd) of Iranian crude oil in June, which marks a 16.3-percent growth compared to the previous month.

Iran and India which have deep historical and cultural relations are now seeking to further expand political and economic ties.

India, the world's fourth-largest petroleum consumer, is Iran's second largest oil customer after China and purchases around $12bln worth of Iranian crude every year, about 12 percent of its consumption.

 

News ID 185046