Sanctioned oil tanker Spartan nears Adani's Mundra Port in Gujarat

The Spartan, blacklisted by the UK and EU, is among the last sanctioned vessels to unload at Mundra after Adani Group's entry ban on such ships

A sanctioned tanker carrying Russian crude neared Adani Group's Mundra port on Monday, making it one of the last blacklisted vessels to unload at the conglomerate’s facilities, according to a Bloomberg report.

 

According to the data compiled by Bloomberg, Kpler and Vortexa, the Spartan, a Suezmax carrying at least 1 million barrels of Urals crude, was near a discharge point that facilitates HPCL-Mittal Energy Ltd (HMEL). Last year, this vessel was sanctioned by the United Kingdom and the European Union (EU) for helping the supply of Russian oil.

 

On September 11, Adani Group banned the entry of tankers that were sanctioned by Western countries at all of its ports, said a Reuters report.

 

 

The ban was effective immediately, but it doesn’t apply to ships that were already on their way, a company spokesperson told Bloomberg. In the last eight months, Mundra received about 180,000 barrels per day (bpd) of Russian crude, the report said.

Ban to hurt Indian refiners

India, the largest buyer of Russian seaborne oil, relies heavily on shipments carried by tankers sanctioned by the EU, the United States, and the UK. A Reuters report said the latest ban is expected to impact supplies to two key Indian refiners:

• HMEL: Operates a 226,000 bpd refinery in Bathinda, Punjab, and sources all its crude through Adani’s Mundra Port in Gujarat
• Indian Oil Corp: The country’s largest refiner, which regularly receives Russian oil at Mundra Port

Oil purchases under scrutiny

India’s imports of Russian crude remain under the scanner of Western nations, particularly the US, with President Donald Trump imposing a 50 per cent tariff on Indian goods, including a 25 per cent penalty linked to Russian crude purchases.

 

Trump also reportedly plans to intensify pressure by urging Washington's Group of Seven (G7) allies to levy tariffs of up to 100 per cent on India and China for their oil trade with Moscow, as part of efforts to curb Russia’s war in Ukraine.

 

However, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman recently reiterated that India will keep buying Russian oil, stating that energy decisions are driven purely by national interest.

Adani Group facing scrutiny in the US

Adani Group has been facing scrutiny from US authorities. The Justice Department is reportedly probing whether an Adani entity was involved in importing Iranian liquefied petroleum gas, a potential breach of American sanctions.