The June figure was 37pc higher than that of May, and much higher than the 1.7 million tonne monthly Jan-May average, the data showed Saudi Arabia accounted for 38.3pc of June arrivals, while India and the United States accounted for 19.3pc and 15.4pc, respectively.

"The discharge of diesel cargo from a VLCC (via ship-to-ship transfer), along with a flurry of Suezmax and Long Range (LR2) tankers going into the ARA region, lifted June import levels above the 12 and 24-month seasonal averages," Vortexa said.