Russia has begun importing automotive fuel from India amid a shortage caused by Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries, according to Kpler.
According to the data, a batch of 42,000 tonnes of gasoline from the Nayara Energy refinery in Vadinar arrived in Russia in early August.
According to Bloomberg, the batch from the Vadinar refinery was loaded in mid-June onto a tanker flying the Russian flag, after which it was delivered to Egypt. There, the fuel was transshipped onto a vessel flying the Omani flag, which then headed to Russia. The batch arrived in the country on August 5.
Kpler noted that the deliveries indicate the scale of the current gasoline shortage on the Russian domestic market, and that reduced refining volumes at refineries are changing traditional trade routes for Russian oil products.
According to estimates by EA Analytics, cited by Bloomberg, in July Russia's oil refining volumes averaged 3.6 million barrels per day, more than 30% below the seasonal average.
At the same time, oil export data point to a gradual change in the situation. Russia's seaborne oil exports in July fell to the lowest level since May, as the recovery of refining volumes led to a diversion of some oil to domestic refineries, and Ukrainian drone attacks disrupted loading at key ports.
According to the newspaper, based on vessel tracking data, over the four weeks to August 9, Russia exported an average of 3.71 million barrels of oil per day by sea. In the last week, the figure fell to 3.25 million barrels per day, compared with 3.5 million barrels a week earlier.
The fuel shortage caused by Ukrainian strikes on refineries is also affecting other markets. Earlier this year, Russia banned exports of diesel fuel to ensure sufficient volumes for the domestic market. This exacerbated the supply reduction caused by damage to refineries in the Middle East and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
Subsequently, the ban on diesel exports was extended until the end of the year.
