PSO cancels jet fuel tender following Afghan border dispute

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Pakistan State Oil (PSO) has cancelled a tender to buy jet fuel for delivery in June amid a border dispute between the South Asian country and Afghanistan, a source at the company said on Tuesday.

PSO initially sought to buy a cargo of 10,000 tonnes of jet fuel for delivery in June but this has now been cancelled due to restrictions in shipping oil across the border, the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity as he was not authorised to speak with media.

About 70 per cent to 80pc of the company’s imports of jet fuel are re-exported to neighbouring Afghanistan, the source added.

“We still have a cargo waiting to unload outside of Afghanistan and it’s been waiting for the past four to five days,” the source said.

The United States and Afghan special forces, backed by drone strikes and other air support, have waged a series of operations against the militant Islamic State group in Afghanistan since March, killing dozens of their recruits, mainly in Nangarhar, on the border with Pakistan.

Separately, PSO also cancelled a tender to buy gas-oil cargoes for June as it has sufficient inventory, the source said.