The delivery of base oils from Qatar to key global markets recovered in March amid a pick-up in flows to Asia-Pacific.

The region’s rise in imports coincided with and helped to cover a seasonal rise in lube demand at the end of the first quarter of the year.

The key markets of US, Europe, and Asia-Pacific took delivery of more than 167,000t of base oils from Qatar in March, government and industry data showed.

The volume rose from a sixteen-month low of little more than 100,000t in February and boosted total supplies to more than 452,000t in the first three months of the year.

The supplies were up from 431,000t during the same period a year ago and from around 406,000t during the fourth quarter of last year.