Canada expands west coast crude exports to meet Asian demand

Canada is expanding its west coast crude oil export infrastructure to cater to growing Asian demand, according to Mark Maki, CEO of Trans Mountain. The expansion is part of a broader effort to diversify global supply outlets and provide a reliable source of heavy sour crude for Asian markets. The Trans Mountain Expansion pipeline, launched in May 2024, has significantly increased Canada's export capabilities, allowing tankers to transport crude to Northeast Asia instead of predominantly US markets.

China has been the largest recipient of Canada's heavy crude shipments, taking 374 Aframax cargoes from May 2024 to July 2026, followed by South Korea with 33 cargoes, India with four cargoes, and Japan with three cargoes. Refining margin analysts and refinery logistics managers from Japan, Thailand, and South Korea noted that recent tanker flow disruptions in the Persian Gulf have accelerated the need for alternative heavy sour crude sources.

Canadian refiner Zhejiang Petroleum & Chemical, China's largest buyer of heavy crudes, imported about 178,000 barrels per day of Canadian crude, including Cold Lake, AWB, and Pacific Dilbit, in the first eight months of 2026, a 35.9% increase from 2025.

South Korea aims to increase its imports of Canadian crude to 16 million barrels in 2026, a threefold rise from 4.88 million barrels in 2025. Japan's ENEOS refiner recently received its first Canadian crude cargo on Aug. 12, with a shipment of 559,070 barrels of Western Canadian Heavy sour crude arriving at its Kiire terminal. The upcoming Trans Mountain expansion project is expected to add an additional 1 million barrels per day of export capacity, shifting the project from an "access" upgrade to a more scalable seaborne export platform.

This expansion will enable Canada to better match heavy crude volumes to buyer demand across Asia, improving the economics of long-haul routes and enhancing the country's diversification strategy.