Overview

• LSEG tracking shows the Unipec‑chartered VLCC New Vista switched from Rizhao to the ports of Ningbo and Zhoushan, targeting arrival on October 15 after a planned Rizhao discharge on Sunday.
• The diverted tanker is carrying roughly 2 million barrels of Abu Dhabi’s Upper Zakum crude, according to ship‑tracking data.
• Chinese consultancy Sublime China Information says Sinopec asked about half a dozen refineries that receive crude via Rizhao to trim operating rates to 80% for the rest of October.
• Consultancy JLC estimates Sinopec’s October runs could fall 3.36% from earlier plans to about 5.16 million barrels per day.
• The U.S. Treasury sanctioned the Rizhao Shihua Crude Oil Terminal—half‑owned by a Sinopec logistics unit—for receiving Iranian oil on sanctioned vessels, part of a broader package targeting ships and an independent Chinese refinery; Rizhao handles about one‑fifth of Sinopec’s crude imports, and the company has not commented.