China imported 400,133 mt of methanol in January, down 18.1% from December but up 1.9% year on year, according to data released Wednesday by Chinese customs.
Iran remained China's top methanol supplier in January, delivering 165,544 mt or just under half of China's total imports for the month. In December, Iran supplied 162,913 mt of methanol to China.
However, the 1.6% rise in imports from Iran, along with a 79.9% surge in imports from Norway, at 18,704 mt, and previously unseen supply from New Zealand and Indonesia, failed to support overall import volumes -- which were dragged down by a decrease in shipments from key suppliers like Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar and Bahrain.
CHINA'S METHANOL IMPORTS Source Jan 2011 (mt) Dec 2011 (mt) Change (%) Iran 165,544 162,913 +1.6 Saudi Arabia 81,436 97,506 -16.5 Oman 58,185 109,954 -47.1 New Zealand 22,215 10,049 NA Qatar 20,748 39,161 -47.0 Norway 18,704 10,399 +79.9 Bahrain 14,741 15,999 -7.9 Indonesia 8,936 0 NA Brunei 5,000 15,507 -67.8 Trinidad & Tobago 4,000 12,400 -67.7 *Total 400,133 488,723 -18.1
*Includes supply sources with small or sporadic volumes
Source: Chinese customs
