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Sources say that Pakistan Refinery will buy Nigerian Bonny Light Oil from Vitol for the first time.

Two sources with knowledge of the matter have confirmed that Pakistan Refinery Limited is planning to import its first shipment of Nigerian Bonny Light Crude from Vitol by September. Asian refiners are looking for cheaper alternatives to Middle Eastern crude oil.

Sources who declined to be named because the information was not yet public said that the 500,000 barrels of light-sweet crude oil cargo will load in the second half of this month, and arrive at Karachi by the end September. The price wasn't immediately available.

Vitol or PRL didn't immediately respond to our request for comment.

This purchase comes after Pakistan's first agreement to import U.S. Crude, also supplied by Vitol by Cnergyico. The shipment is expected to arrive in the month of October.

Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates are the main sources of Pakistan's crude oil imports.

In recent months, Pakistani refiners have shown an increased interest, along with those of other Asian countries, in importing supplies from abroad, such as U.S. West Texas Intermediate or Kazakh CPC Blend. This is because Middle Eastern supplies are becoming more expensive.

According to Kpler data, Pakistan imported Nigerian Yoho oil as early as 2014. However, the Bonny Light is the first purchase known by the country. Bonny Light is valued for the high yields it produces of gasoline and diesel.

The country's biggest import is oil, which accounted for $11.3 billion of its total import bill in the fiscal year that ended on June 30, 2025. (Reporting and editing by Barbara Lewis in Karachi)

(source: Reuters)