Sales of petroleum products and liquid biofuels, March 2007, preliminary figures

Sales of heating and lighting kerosene and light heating oils decreased by 14.4 and 22.6 per cent respectively compared to first quarter of 2006. Meanwhile, the increase in sales of auto diesel continued, During the first three months of 2007  684 million litres were sold, 8.2 percent more than last year. Sales of auto diesel amount to 30 per cent of the total sales of petroleum products. Sales of motor gasoline decreased by 4.1 per cent in the same period.

Less heavy bunker oil

Total deliveries of bunker oil to ships were 122 million litres during the first quarter of 2007. This is a decrease by 17.6 per cent compared to the same period in 2006. Of total sales of bunker oil, heavy fuel oil amount to 27.9 per cent. Compared to first quarter in 2006, sales of heavy bunker oil went down with 32.2 per cent, while the sales of other bunker oil went down with 9.7 per cent.

This month Norway gave its support to the proposal of the International Maritime Organisation of an international ban against the use of heavy fuel oil bunker. Heavy fuel oil bunker is an inexpensive fuel, but have high sulphur emissions.

Reduced sales in March

In March 2007 781 million litres of petroleum products were sold. This is a decrease by 8.2 percent, or 76 million litres compared to March 2006. In addition there was one more delivery day in March 2006 compared to this year.

Less for heating

The largest decrease this month came in the sales of heating and lighting kerosene and light heating oils. Sales of heating and lighting kerosene were reduced by a half, while the sales of light heating oils were reduced by 40 percent. Total sales of these products went down with 39 million litres, and accounts for about half of the total reduction in sales of petroleum products this month.

A possible explanation for the low sales is the price decrease of electricity and the large differences in temperature between March last year and this year.

Sales of marine gas oil and diesel were 149 million litres this month, a decrease by 8.1 per cent compared to last year. The sales of heavy fuel oil remained stable.

Auto diesel and jet fuel were the only products with an increase in sales. These two products showed a modest increase of 1.9 and 1.7 per cent respectively compared to the same month last year.

There were 22 delivery days in March compared to 23 days in March 2006.

Tables:

• Table 1 Deliveries of petroleum products. Million litres. Preliminary figures
• Table 2 Deliveries of petroleum products, by group of purchasers. Million litres. Preliminary figures
• Table 3 Deliveries of petroleum products, by county. Million litres. Preliminary figures