Idemitsu starts sourcing Saudi crude via Suez route, sees no risk to stable supplies -president

TOKYO, Aug 18 : Idemitsu Kosan, Japan's second-largest oil refiner, has begun sourcing Saudi crude from Yanbu via the Suez route and the Cape of Good Hope and sees no near-term threat to stable supplies, helped by UAE crude routed via Fujairah and imports from North America, its president said on Tuesday."If you set aside longer shipping times and higher transportation costs, we don't expect any significant disruption to crude procurement," President Noriaki Sakai told Reuters.Attacks by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis have made the Bab el-Mandeb Strait impassable for most Saudi oil shipments, forcing vessels onto a longer route. Voyages that typically take about 20 days now require 50 to 60 days, though Idemitsu plans to continue procuring Saudi crude via the Suez route, Sakai said.Idemitsu