Pakistan’s largest refiner, Cnergyico, will import 1 million barrels of oil from American West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude in October.
In a first, Pakistan has agreed to import US crude oil, marking a major shift in its long-standing dependence on Middle Eastern energy suppliers.
The historic oil deal comes just months after US President Donald Trump threatened Pakistani exports with dramatic tariffs, forcing Islamabad to increase its energy and trade relations with Washington.
Pakistan’s largest refiner, Cnergyico, will import 1 million barrels of oil from American West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude from global commodity trader Vitol in October, its vice chairman, Usama Qureshi, told Reuters.
“This is a test spot cargo under our umbrella term agreement with Vitol. If it is commercially viable and available, we could import at least one cargo per month,” he said, adding that the shipment was not meant for resale.
The landmark deal was the result of months of negotiations that began in April, shortly after President Trump announced potential 29% tariffs on imports from Pakistan.
In response, Pakistan’s finance and petroleum ministries encouraged local refineries to explore US crude imports after the April tariff announcement, Qureshi said.
