China Revises Import Procedures for Crude Oil

China will revise its inspection and supervision procedures for crude oil imports to increase efficiency, the country’s customs authority said in a Sept. 21 notice, according to an unofficial translation. The procedures will allow oil importers to begin offloading shipments before all customs procedures are finalized if they provide certain information and an oil sample from the load being delivered. But China said imports of crude oil benefiting from these procedures may be sold only after they have passed the full customs inspection and issued a certificate. The new procedures will take effect Oct. 1.