India’s initial plan to build-up its strategic petroleum reserves (SPR) is not shaping out to be the dramatic event that some in the market had hoped could help reignite global oil demand. While New Delhi has not shown its full hand in revealing its intentions, the first reports that SPRs might provide 90 days of net import coverage had stoked industry hopes of an important new pillar of oil demand. Indications now, however, are for much far less than this: shipping brokers say it’s possible the entire initial SPR build-up in the world’s third-biggest oil consumer could be handled by just a handful of Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) tankers. Indeed, India’s initial SPR plan pales in comparison to a programme that is ten-fold bigger in China and is a further sign that Asia’s demand outlook may not be as strong as expected. “I don’t see the Indian SPR […]