BEIJING (Reuters) - China's main ports received 25 percent more crude oil in July than a year earlier, signaling that total crude oil imports last month may have risen at the fastest pace in nearly two years to challenge record highs.
The ports shipped in 16.27 million tonnes, or 3.83 million barrels per day (bpd), of imported crude oil in July, the Ministry of Transport said in a report on its website (www.moc.gov.cn) on Tuesday.
The figure, which may vary from official crude import data due for release next week, does not take into account shipments by pipeline or railway from Russia and central Asian countries.
China imported a record 4.02 million bpd of crude oil in March 2008 as it was preparing for the Beijing Olympics.
The world's second-largest oil consumer imported just 3.25 million bpd In July 2008.