Japan oil refiner Idemitsu to supply 4 million barrels of crude to Vietnam

Oil refiner Idemitsu Kosan Co will supply about 4 million barrels of crude oil to Vietnam at the request of the Japanese government, sources familiar with the matter said Wednesday.

Vietnam, a key exporter of petroleum-derived industrial parts to Japan, relies heavily on the Middle East for energy supplies like other Southeast Asian countries. Their oil procurement remains disrupted after the Strait of Hormuz was largely blocked following the U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran.

The government request was made ahead of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s planned visit to Vietnam in early May to discuss stable energy supplies and stronger supply chains.

In March, the Philippine government said it had procured 142,000 barrels of diesel fuel from Japan.

The Japanese oil company procured the crude oil from the Middle East for Vietnam via routes that did not pass through the strait.