Centre 'bars' oil tanker carrying Russian crude over documentation lapse

By Rakesh Sharma and Weilun Soon

 

A tanker carrying Russian crude for state-run Indian Oil Corp. has been denied entry to a port in the key Asian buyer due to a lack of proper documentation, according to people familiar with the development.

 

The Honduran-flagged Andaman Skies, built in 2004, loaded 767,000 barrels at Murmansk on Feb. 24, and was due to discharge at Vadinar on March 30, according to Kpler data. But the vessel’s documents seeking approval to dock at the west coast port weren’t in order, said the people, who asked not to be identified, and didn’t give precise reasons for the paperwork falling short.

 

 

India emerged as a vital destination for Russian seaborne crude shipments after Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and the nation’s import flows are closely scrutinized by the market. Waves of western sanctions by the US, European Union and UK against Russian vessels have complicated the trade, with Washington adding dozens of ships to a blacklist in January. The Andaman Skies was not included in that push, although it has been targeted by the British authorities.

 

The denial of entry to the Andaman Skies was reported earlier by Reuters. At present, the vessel is in the Arabian Sea between Oman and India, still fully laden, and it appears to have stopped sailing, ship-tracking data show.

 

The ship’s registered owner as listed on the Equasis database, Durbeen Navigation Ltd., did not immediately respond to a request for comment.