Benzene port stocks plunge over 60% YoY to record low

After a 20-week consecutive decline, benzene inventories at Jiangsu port refreshed a new low in July in line with falling arrivals of imported cargoes, and as centralized maintenance tightened the liquidity in the market.

China's benzene port inventories especially in Jiangsu have plummeted to multi-year lows, primarily due to a severe contraction in imports caused by global shipping disruptions, paired with widespread domestic production cutbacks. As of July 13, 2026, commercial benzene inventory at Jiangsu ports stood at just 56,800 tonnes, down 5.02% from