Russian Oil Finds Its Way Back to India Thanks to Iran War

SadaNews - Data from ship tracking has shown that two shipments of Russian oil, originally headed for East Asia, have changed course towards India, indicating that New Delhi is becoming more open to receiving Russian crude as the conflict in the Middle East escalates.

Data from Kpler and Vortexa indicate that two tankers carrying a total of about 1.4 million barrels of Russian Urals oil are likely to unload their cargoes at Indian ports this week, after previous tracking indicators showed they were bound for East Asia. Urals oil, which is loaded from Baltic and Black Sea ports, has been in high demand from Indian refineries, but its inflows have sharply slowed this year due to U.S. pressure on New Delhi to curb its purchases.

Iran War Disrupts Oil Calculations

Data and reports from port agents indicate that the tanker Odune, a Suezmax class vessel carrying 730,000 barrels, reached the port of Paradip on India’s eastern coast on Wednesday, although it remains unclear whether it has unloaded its cargo yet.

In contrast, the Matari tanker, an Aframax class vessel carrying over 700,000 barrels, is expected to arrive at Vadinar port in western India on Thursday.

Indian refineries have reduced their purchases of Russian oil in recent weeks, fearing complications in trade talks with Washington, prompting Moscow to seek alternative buyers in China. However, the war in the Middle East and the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz raise concerns about crude supply shortages, pushing refining companies in the South Asian nation to return to buying Russian barrels.

Redirecting Oil Towards India

Shipping destinations may witness further changes. Ship tracking data has shown that the tanker Indri, a Suezmax class vessel operating in the Arabian Sea, which previously indicated Singapore as its destination, changed its course northward towards India this week, carrying about 730,000 barrels of Urals crude.

The three ships: Odune, Matari, and Indri, were sanctioned by the UK and the EU last year.

Global Ship Solutions LLC, based in Azerbaijan and listed as the manager of the Odune tanker in the Equasis database, did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent via email. Contact details for its registered owner in Hong Kong, Sylvarn Fleetline, were also unavailable.

Similarly, Anchor Elite Shipmanagement, also registered in Azerbaijan and responsible for managing the Matari tanker, did not respond to a request for comment sent via email, and contact details for its owner, Oasis Bloom, could not be found.

No email addresses or phone numbers were provided for the owner of the Indri tanker, Veyronda Seaborne Ltd in Hong Kong, or for its manager, Stellar Ship Solutions LLC in Azerbaijan.