Rail supplies of Russian liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) to China are set to triple in March from February as supplies are diverted from Western destinations, Refinitiv Eikon data showed.

Russian companies plan to supply some 72,000 tonnes of LPG to China in March compared to 24,000 tonnes in February, rail data in Refinitiv Eikon showed.

Usually, most of Russian LPG is shipped by rail to Europe via the Baltic Sea port of Ust-Luga and southern ports of Taman and Temryuk on the Sea of Azov. But recent LPG supply disruptions to Western buyers have forced producers to change routes.

Last year, overall LPG supplies to China reached 62,600 tonnes as exports were limited due to Chinese government restrictions amid the coronavirus pandemic, according to the data.

Planned March supplies include 18,000 tonnes from the Surgut condensate stabilization plant (CSP), 11,400 tonnes from Zapsibneftekhim, 22,000 tonnes from Irkutskaya Oil Company and 9,350 tonnes from the Omsky Kautschuk plant.

Russian LPG is shipped to China via the Far East Gas terminal with annual capacity of 1.8 million tonnes located near the Russia-China border.
Source: Reuters (Editing by Jason Neely)