Newspaper The Philippine Star reports that the Philippines has received its first shipment of Russian oil in five years with the arrival of a tanker laden with 100,000 tonnes of crude earlier this week.
The crude was transported by the Sierra Leone-registered tanker Sara Sky, which arrived in Limay municipality in Bataan province north of Manila at around 14:00 local time on Tuesday, March 24.
The ESPO blend crude was loaded at the Port of Kozmino some 85 kilometres southeast of Vladivostok.
Earlier this week, the Philippines began working towards securing waivers and exemptions from the United States to allow the importation of oil from countries sanctioned by Washington.
The Philippines, which relies heavily on oil imported from the Middle East, faces risks of supply shortages caused by the ongoing hostilities between the US and Iran.
Jose Manuel Romualdez, the Philippines' Ambassador to Washington, had earlier said that, "all options are being considered," when asked by reporters whether Manila would also seek exemptions for the importation of Venezuelan and Iranian oil.
