India’s freshly-released crude import stats for August show no sign that the country is shaking its Covid-induced demand slump (MEES, 28 August). At 3.59mn b/d volumes are down 21% year-on-year, with data intelligence firm Kpler pegging September imports at a similarly-anemic 3.63mn b/d.

Average 8M 2020 imports of 3.93mn b/d are down 12% year-on-year, with 2020 on track to be the first sub-4mn b/d year since 2015. (CONTINUED - 233 WORDS)