<article><p class="lead">Chinese state-controlled oil firm Sinopec exported the first oil product shipments today from its 200,000 b/d Zhanjiang refinery in south China's Guangdong province.</p><p>Two tankers loaded with 92 Ron gasoline and gasoil from the refinery's port at Zhongke after completing commodity inspections, heading towards Singapore and the Philippines respectively, Sinopec said. This is the first export batch of products, totalling 60,000t, since Zhanjiang's start-up in June. Shipping lists show the <i>Forever Glory</i> could have been booked to load gasoline from Zhanjiang during 17-19 October and move towards Singapore. </p><p>The refinery is expected to export up to 90,000t of products this month, Sinopec said. It fully opened in June this year, with its planned start-up pushed back several times, with it also over budget at a cost of 44bn yuan ($6.6bn) rather than its initial $5bn estimate.</p><p>Zhongke port has only one berth for very large crude carriers but has berths that can load 780,000 bl clean product tankers, suggesting that Sinopec sees export product markets as a key outlet. Sinopec's nearby 314,000 b/d Guangzhou refinery already exports high-octane gasoline to other Asian countries.</p><p>Zhanjiang <a href="https://direct.argusmedia.com/newsandanalysis/article/2118698">offers a challenge</a> to fellow Chinese state-controlled firm PetroChina's role in meeting south and southwest China's fuel supply requirements and an expanding role as an exporter of fuel to nearby countries such as Vietnam.</p><p>The Chinese government has granted two batches of export quota, totalling 56.03mn t for gasoline, gasoil and jet fuel so far this year, slightly higher than the 55.89mn t of quotas granted in 2019. Five state-controlled companies — Sinopec, PetroChina, SinoChem, CNOOC and aviation fuel distributor CNAF — exported a total 31.61mn t of gasoline, gasoil and jet fuel during January-August, according to customs data.</p><p>The market also awaits more export quotas for private-sector refiner Rongsheng, which operates the 400,000 b/d ZPC refinery at Zhoushan in east China's Zhejiang province. It became the first private-sector refiner to receive a clean product export licence earlier this year after a four-year pause.</p><p class="bylines">By Yawen Lu</p></article>
