Imports from Russia averaged 1.98 million barrels a day in March, the highest since June 2023, according to data from intelligence firm Kpler
Russia signals readiness to boost oil and LNG supplies as India faces energy stress amid West Asia conflict and rising import dependence
A Russian tanker docked Tuesday at the Cuban port of Matanzas laden with 730,000 barrels of oil, marking the first time in three months that an oil tanker reached the island. The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump had allowed the Anatoly Kolodkin to proceed despite an ongoing US energy blockade. Cubans including Energy and Mines Minister Vicente de la O Levy cheered the ship's arrival. A shortage of petroleum has exacerbated a deep economic crisis that has left the population mired in long blackouts and facing a severe shortage of food and medicine. "Our gratitude to the Government and People of Russia for all the support we are receiving. A valuable shipment that arrives amid the complex energy situation we are facing," de la O Levy wrote on X. Cuba produces barely 40 per cent of its required fuel and relies on imports to sustain its energy grid. Experts say the anticipated shipment could produce about 180,000 barrels of diesel, enough to feed Cuba's daily demand for ni
Furthermore, Angola has emerged as one of the biggest crude oil suppliers to India amid attempts to source from West Asian alternatives
Asian nations are increasingly competing for Russian crude oil as an energy crisis mounts amid the month-old war by the US and Israel against Iran, which has choked off roughly a fifth of the world's oil supply. Much of the oil from the mostly shut Strait of Hormuz was headed for Asia, hit hardest by recent energy shocks. Over the weekend, Iran-backed Houthi rebels entered the conflict, further threatening shipping. To shore up global crude oil supplies, the US has temporarily eased sanctions on Russian oil shipments already at sea - first for India, then for the rest of the world. Demand is rising in Asia while Russia is raking in billions of dollars. But experts say there is a limit to how much Moscow can boost its exports of crude oil, which is unrefined petroleum needed to make fuels like gasoline and diesel, and it is already exporting at a level close to its previous peak. In addition, Russia's 4-year-old full-scale invasion of Ukraine and recent drone attacks on its energy .
Latest sanctions by EU banning imports of fuels made from Russian crude oil from January has hurt India's sales, say industry sources
President Donald Trump on Sunday night said he has "no problem" with a Russian oil tanker off the coast of Cuba delivering relief to the island, which has been brought to its knees by a US oil blockade. "We have a tanker out there. We don't mind having somebody get a boatload because they need they have to survive," Trump told reporters as he flew back to Washington. When asked if a New York Times report that the tanker would be allowed to reach Cuba was true, Trump said: "I told them, if a country wants to send some oil into Cuba right now, I have no problem whether it's Russia or not." Tracking data shows the oil tanker carrying approximately 730,000 barrels of oil, was just off the eastern tip of the island on Sunday night and slated to land in the city of Matanzas by Tuesday. Journalists working for Cuban state media also reported the boat was expected to land, though Cuban officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Trump, whose government has come at its
The recent attacks have caused severe oil supply disruption for Russia, the world's second-largest oil exporter, and have come just as oil prices exceeded $100 a barrel due to the Iran war
The cargoes were booked at premiums of $5 to $15 a barrel to Brent
Emergency services are working to extinguish the blaze at the fuel storage tank at Primorsk, and personnel have been evacuated
The country still faces a shortfall of 700,000 bpd of crude oil in March compared to Feb
Iran's foreign minister mocked Washington's policy reversal after the US granted a short-term waiver allowing Indian refiners to resume imports of Russian crude amid energy market disruption
India was also granted a similar 30-day waiver on March 5 for purchase of Russian oil
As the Iran war disrupts Gulf oil exports, higher prices and rising demand from India and China are delivering Russia an estimated $150 million a day in additional revenues
The crude is being carried on 25 vessels, with grades such as Sokol on ships near China. There's also a number of tankers in the Arabian Sea that are mainly loaded with the medium-sour Urals blend
The measure, which applies only to oil loaded before March 12, expands upon a month-long waiver given to India last week, which was intended for crude loaded on ships before March 5
India's purchase of Russian crude oil has surged 50 per cent in March as New Delhi tapped alternate sources to make up for the shortfall arising from disruption in the Middle East amid a widening military conflict. India bought about 1.5 million barrels of Russian oil this month, up from 1.04 million bpd in February, ship tracking data showed. India, the world's third-largest crude importer, sources 88 per cent of its oil needs from abroad. It consumes 5.8 million barrels per day, of which 2.5-2.7 million barrels came from Middle East countries like Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and the UAE via the Strait of Hormuz. The chokepoint also carried 55 per cent of India's cooking gas (LPG) and 30 per cent of liquefied natural gas (LNG), used for power, fertilizers, CNG, and household cooking. The ongoing conflict has largely halted shipments through the strait, forcing India to seek alternative crude sources from Russia. "India was expected to import around 2.6 million barrels per day of crude vi
Condemning the US remarks, Congress called it a blatant insult to India's sovereignty and dignity
The US has "temporarily permitted" India to "accept" Russian oil already on ships in the sea to ensure energy supplies amid the conflict with Iran and the short-term measure will not provide significant financial benefit to Moscow, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has said. President Donald Trump, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and the whole national security team "came to this decision because our allies in India have been good actors and have previously stopped buying sanctioned Russian oil", Leavitt told a press conference at the White House on Tuesday. "So as we work to appease this temporary gap of oil supply around the world because of the Iranians, we have temporarily permitted them (India) to accept that Russian oil. And this Russian oil was already at sea. It was already out on the water. So this short-term measure, we do not believe it will provide significant financial benefit to the Russian government at this time," she said. Leavitt was responding to a ...
Washington says move meant to ease global oil supply disruptions