Global base oils exports to Kenya recovered to a five-month high in January amid a rebound in shipments from Europe.The trend extended Kenya’s reliance on Europe for almost all the country’s base oils requirements.The reliance on Europe for supplies coincided with falling base oils production capacity in that region and the prospect of rising production in other markets like the Mideast Gulf and India.The diverging supply trends, and the prospect of a rise in availability in markets that are logistically closer to Kenya, could prompt a change in trade flows over the coming year.Base oils exports to Kenya rose to more than 8,500 tonnes in January, government and customs data showed.The volume rose from less than 6,500 tonnes the previous month to the highest since last August.Exports rose mostly because of a recovery in shipments from the UK. There had been a pause in exports from that market during the previous two months.The rise in shipments lifted the share of exports from Europe to more than 90% of the total volume in January.The share was higher than its 85% share of Kenya’s imports in each of the last two years.Imports from the UAE accounted for less than 5% of the total during each of those years. The share of supplies from India and Saudi Arabia was similar or even lower.The logistical proximity of those markets to Kenya made the East African country an attractive outlet for base oils shipments as production rises in those countries over the coming years..Europe’s Jan base oils exports mixed.Saudi Arabia’s Feb Yanbu/Jeddah exports fall
