At least three tankers carrying Russian crude are indicating Reliance Industries Ltd.’s plant on India’s west coast as their next destination, after the refiner restarted some purchases for domestic production.
The vessels, laden with nearly 2.2 million barrels of Urals, are currently signaling the huge Jamnagar complex and are expected to deliver their cargoes early this month, according to data analytics firm Kpler.
Kpler tracks the movement of vessels based on live signals sent by captains detailing their current location and upcoming discharge ports. Destinations can change as the ships approach India.
A Reliance spokesman denied that the cargoes had been purchased by the company, adding that it didn’t have any committed shipments of Russian crude for delivery in January.
Having initially backed away after the US blacklisted Rosneft PJSC and Lukoil PJSC, Reliance announced in November that it would stop using Russian crude at the export-focused part of its refinery. It has since started sourcing barrels from non-sanctioned Russian producers for domestic use. Rosneft was previously the refiner’s largest source of Russian oil, underpinned by a term deal to supply 500,000 barrels a day.
India, a key outlet for oil from the OPEC+ producer in recent years, has faced scrutiny from President Donald Trump and key members of his administration for its trade with Russia — criticism that’s been met by public defiance. The uncertainty has led the nation’s refiners to cut back on their buying, with imports sinking to lowest in three years last month.
Controlled by billionaire Mukesh Ambani, Reliance was the world’s top buyer of Russian crude for most of 2024 to 2025, according to data from Kpler.
The cargoes are marked as having been supplied by traders Alghaf Marine DMCC, Redwood Global Supply FZ LLC, RusExport and Ethos Energy, according to data from Kpler. Alghaf Marine and Redwood Global have been sanctioned by the UK, and the former is the successor company to the Middle Eastern branch of Litasco, the trading arm of Lukoil.
Russian oil deliveries to Reliance’s Jamnagar refinery complex made up more than 40% of the plant’s imports in the January to November period last year.
Reliance isn’t the only Indian refiner taking Russian crude, with state-owned Indian Oil Corp. and Bharat Petroleum Corp. also picking up cargoes from non-sanctioned sellers. They’ve been lured by deep discounts, lean refining margins and uncertainties around the status of trade negotiations with Washington.
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