At least four oil tankers carrying Russian crude are idling off India’s western coast as Indian refiners reconsider purchases under sanction pressure from the United States and the European Union, Bloomberg reported on August 1.
The idling tankers highlight the growing uncertainty surrounding India’s future buying of Russian oil, which account for more than a third of the country’s total crude imports.
State-owned companies, including Indian Oil, Hindustan Petroleum, and Bharat Petroleum, have not purchased Russian crude in the past week, according to four Reuters sources familiar with procurement plans.
Two of the vessels — the Achilles and Elyte — are anchored near Jamnagar, having missed their expected arrival at the port of Sikka on July 30-31, according to ship-tracking data. Both ships loaded Ural-grade crude from Russia’s Primorsk and Ust-Luga ports in late June and are sanctioned by the EU and U.K.
The other two tankers, the Destan and Horae, are also anchored off India with Russian oil onboard. Destan, which is also sanctioned, was reportedly due at Sikka on July 24-25, while Horae, which is not under sanctions, is expected to dock at Vadinar on Aug. 1. All four vessels are capable of transporting about 700,000 barrels each.
Earlier, U.S. President Donald Trump announced a 25% tariff on Indian goods effective Aug. 1, citing New Delhi’s continued purchases of Russian oil and weapons as a reason for the move.
The administration also warned of further penalties unless India reduces its energy ties with Moscow.
India has reportedly asked domestic refiners to prepare alternative sourcing strategies, with state refiners turning to spot markets and other crude, from the Middle East and West Africa.
While private refiners like Reliance and Nayara Energy remain major importers of Russian oil, India’s state-run companies account for more than 60% of the country’s refining capacity, which is around 5.2 million barrels per day.
India, once heavily reliant on Middle Eastern supplies, ramped up Russian oil imports after Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Taking advantage of deep discounts and reduced demand from Europe, India became the second-largest buyer of Russian crude after China.
On July 14, amid the announcement of a 50-day deadline for Russia to stop its war against Ukraine (later brought forward to Aug. 8) Trump threatened a 100% tariff on countries continuing to import Russian oil.
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