Imports of crude oil by Iran's 4 major buyers in Asia in November 2016 more than doubled for a 2nd straight month from a year ago, with purchases by India and South Korea more than 4 times higher.
Iran's top 4 Asian buyers - China, India, South Korea and Japan - imported 1.94 million barrels per day (bpd) last month, up 117 % on a year earlier, government and ship-tracking data showed.
That was just short of the 2016 peak of 1.99 million bpd hit in the previous month, which was the highest since at least 2010, according to data by International Energy Agency.
The volumes were in line with the OPEC member's crude oil and condensate export plans.
Iran was exempted from last month's OPEC deal to reduce output by 1.2 million bpd starting Jan. 1, a victory for Tehran which has argued it needs to regain the market share it lost under Western sanctions targeting its nuclear program.
Industry sources have said Iran has been offering discounts to buyers in return for increasing their purchases.
Iran's crude oil imports cost Japan an average $45.46 a barrel for November, which was the third cheapest after Mexico and Oman, customs-cleared trade data by Japan's Ministry of Finance showed on December 27, 2016.
Japan's trade ministry released official data showing its imports jumped 41.2 % from a year earlier to 237,653 bpd last month.
India's imports grew more than 4-fold from a year earlier to 620,000 bpd, topping China's imports for a 3rd straight month.
South Korean imports were nearly 5 times higher at 472,067 bpd.
Looking ahead, Iran's crude oil exports in December are set to fall 8% from November to a 5-month low, a source with knowledge of its preliminary tanker schedule said in mid-December, as lower shipments to China and others in Asia offset bumper exports to Europe.
