Mexican Crude Oil Arrives in Japan After 70-Day Voyage

Jul 17, 2026 | News On Japan

TOKYO - A tanker carrying about 1 million barrels of Mexican crude oil arrived off Yokkaichi, Mie Prefecture, on the morning of July 17, marking Japan's first such delivery since the Strait of Hormuz was effectively closed.

According to Cosmo Oil, which procured the shipment, the tanker sailed for about 70 days from Mexico via the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa.

The vessel was headed for an offshore oil receiving facility about six kilometers from the coast of Yokkaichi, where tugboats guided it toward the sea berth.

The shipment marks Japan's first crude oil import from Mexico in three years.

Part of the cargo will be refined at a refinery in Yokkaichi, while the remaining crude will be transferred from July 18 to a refinery in Chiba Prefecture for processing.

Mexican crude has characteristics similar to Middle Eastern oil, making it relatively easy to process at Japanese refineries.

The 1 million barrels procured from Mexico are equivalent to about 0.3 days of Japan's domestic oil consumption.

Source: CBC

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