SINGAPORE: China’s state-owned Sinopec, the world’s largest refiner, has significantly increased purchases of Russian crude as it replaces Middle Eastern supplies disrupted by the Iran war, according to trade sources and ship-tracking data. The volumes represent roughly 5 percent to 6 percent of the company’s 5.2 million barrels per day of refining capacity. Vortexa tracking data showed Sinopec imported about 7.4 million barrels of ESPO crude in July, mainly through the port of Rizhao in Shandong province. The company has also continued paying for Russian crude in Chinese yuan. Before the Iran war, nearly half of Sinopec’s crude imports came from the Middle East, with Saudi Arabia among its largest suppliers.