Exclusive - Vitol to get up to two million barrels of crude a month from Algeria

LONDON (Reuters) - Vitol will get 1.5 to 2 million barrels of crude per month from Algeria's state oil firm Sonatrach and deliver fuel to the country in exchange, in a rare such deal for the OPEC member, trade sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.

The deal will kick off on Feb. 1 with the world's largest oil trader loading a 1 million barrel cargo, one of the sources said.

Algeria is aiming to cut its fuel import bill through the contract, which will last until the year end. Vitol was among nine contenders vying for deal, including oil majors and its major trading house competitors.

(Reporting by Julia Payne and Ahmad Ghaddar in London, Lamine Chikhi in Algiers; editing by Alexander Smith)