CHINA DATA: ESPO rush propels Russia to the top among suppliers to independents

China’s independent refiners snapped up record volumes of ESPO crude in January to meet the country’s robust winter demand for low-vapor gasoil, helping Russia to become the biggest supplier of feedstock to the Shandong-based refiners. But as crude oil markets inch closer to $100 a barrel and remain on tenterhooks amid fears of a potential Russian invasion into Ukraine, China’s…