India has emerged as a key supplier of gasoline (petrol) to Russia amid a surge in Russian fuel imports triggered by Ukrainian drone attacks on refineries, ship tracking data showed.
Russia’s seaborne gasoline imports surged to a record around 125,000 barrels per day (kbd) in August, equivalent to a projected 470,000 tonnes for the month, as repeated attacks on its refineries disrupted domestic fuel production, according to energy analytics firm Vortexa.
India’s purchases of Russian crude oil hit a record high as the conflict in the Gulf squeezes supply from other sources. Russian diesel exports remain severely constrained by the export ban, refinery damage and disruptions at fuel terminals While gasoline imports have surged. India imported more than 2.6 million barrels per day of Russian crude in June and July, up from a low of 1 million bpd in February and accounting for more than half of the country’s crude imports. Overall, around 40% of Russia’s August gasoline imports moved via ship-to-ship transfers, with the majority conducted in the dark, with vessels switching off their automatic identification system (AIS) signals. Russia’s seaborne diesel/gasoil exports were around 150,000 bpd in August through August 25, flat month-on-month but down 610,000 bpd from a year earlier and 81% below the five-year seasonal average, Vortexa said, adding that Russia is likely to continue importing some gasoline volumes in the near term, reflecting its historically lower gasoline-to-diesel production yields.
