Sudanese Oil Returns to Singapore and Malaysia as China Demand Eases

Sudan has increased its oil exports to Singapore and Malaysia in August, as demand from China's refining sector eased. The country's Dar Blend crude oil returned to the marine fuel blending pool after being diverted to some of China's refineries earlier this year due to a disrupted heavy crude supply from the Middle East.

About 1.7 million barrels of Dar Blend arrived in Singapore and Malaysia in August, up for a third consecutive month, according to Kpler data. This is an increase from the monthly average of 1.9 million barrels in 2025, but still lower than the current export level of around 2.6 million barrels per month.

Dar Blend is a heavy-sweet crude that can be used to blend or produce low-sulphur fuel oil with maximum 0.5% sulphur content used in powering ships. With incremental crude availability and choice, China's demand for additional barrels of heavy-sweet crudes like Dar has eased, according to Emril Jamil, a senior oil research manager at commodities data firm Kpler.