Alaska’s crude oil exports have more than doubled this year from 2019, as Chinese refiners are purchasing more Alaskan crude, demand for which on the U.S. West Coast has significantly shrunk in the pandemic. While demand from U.S. West Coast refiners has been subdued, overall Chinese crude oil imports have held strong during the COVID-19 wave in China early this year. China’s crude imports then soared in the summer months after refiners took advantage of the cheapest crude in decades in April and purchased crude from various places…
