Imports of Mexican crude into the US hit a nine-month weekly record late January: EIA

New York — US refiners imported 953,000 b/d of Mexican crude in the last week of January, the highest volume seen since the first week of May when it was 969,000 b/d, setting a nine-month weekly record, the US Energy Information Administration said Wednesday.

In 2019, the average weekly imports from Mexico was 595,000 b/d, the same data showed.

Mexico's flagship heavy sour Maya has been the top crude exported to the US market, along with similar quality grades Talam and Altamira..

But since December rare cargoes of medium-sour Isthmus crude have been delivered at US Gulf Coast ports, after Pemex stopped exports of this grade in 2017.

Typically, Isthmus is used as diluent for heavy sour grades -- Maya included -- in USGC refineries with cocking and desulfurization units.

Among the refiners purchasing the Mexican medium-sour grade out of the port of Pajaritos, Veracruz, were Valero, with three Aframax-sized cargoes, and Phillips 66 with one 500,000-barrel cargo, US Customs Bureau and Platts Analytics data released this week showed.

Maya and Isthmus are processed in Pemex refining system to produce gasoline, diesel, naphtha and jet fuel, among other oil products. However, in the last decade the average utilization of Pemex refineries have decreased to 40%, according to the company's data.