LONDON May 1 (Reuters) – Algeria’s state oil company Sonatrach has issued a tender to buy 180,000 tonnes of gasoil for delivery in May, trade sources said on Tuesday.
The tender is scheduled to close on May 2.
Algeria needs to import large quantities of gasoil to meet growing domestic demand, buying around 1.3 million tonnes of the refined oil product last year.
Although Sonatrach’s largest refinery is undergoing maintenance, the 335,000 barrel per day (bpd) Skikda plant is expected to continue processing some crude oil.
Earlier this year, a senior Algerian energy official said shutdowns at refineries would cause imports to increase in 2012.
Naphtha traders said the refinery was still offering cargoes for delivery this month.
(Reporting by Jessica Donati, editing by William Hardy)
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