KARACHI: Pakistan has received its second shipment of American crude oil, marking a significant move toward diversifying its energy imports and enhancing cost efficiency.
The vessel MT Albany, carrying one million barrels of premium West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude, arrived at Cnergyico’s offshore Single Point Mooring (SPM) terminal near Hub, Balochistan, on November 10, 2025. This follows the country’s first-ever U.S. crude import in October and precedes a third cargo scheduled for January 2026.
Collectively, the three shipments represent an investment exceeding $200 million as Pakistan gradually reduces its reliance on traditional Middle Eastern suppliers such as Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
The imports are part of a broader U.S.-Pakistan trade initiative aimed at strengthening bilateral economic cooperation. Cnergyico’s deep-water SPM terminal plays a pivotal role in this development, as it can handle large Aframax and Suezmax tankers—unlike Karachi’s shallow ports—thereby enabling the import of bigger cargoes and lowering per-barrel freight costs.
WTI’s light, sweet composition makes it easier and cheaper to refine into high-value fuels like gasoline and diesel, while producing fewer emissions. Moreover, since WTI often trades at a discount to the Dubai/Oman benchmark used for Middle Eastern crudes, the competitive pricing helps offset longer shipping distances—making American crude an economically viable option for Pakistani refiners.
