Administrators PwC have has been looking to find a buyer for Coryton since Petroplus, Europe’s largest independent refiner by capacity, went into administration at the end of December.

Vitol and PwC declined to comment. PwC Administrator Stephen Oldfield said: “We have confidentiality obligations regarding this information.”

Stephen Howitt, member of the European Parliament for the Essex area where the refinery is based, said: “It’s on a knife edge, but we are doing everything we can to put the refinery on a stable footing.”

Trade sources said that Vitol had sold a cargo of crude oil to the Coryton refinery last week.

“They were dipping their toe in to get an idea about how any agreement would work,” said someone present at talks to support the refinery.

This was the second cargo delivered to the refinery since it went into administration, with the other supplied by BP, trade sources said.

A union official said that the plant would need to get a third cargo by this weekend, or it would face closure.

Coryton is one of five Petroplus plants.