Russian oil goes to India again: tankers head to Reliance despite sanctions pressure
2 January 17:50
At least three tankers with Russian oil have been reported to have been destined for Indian refining giant Reliance Industries Ltd. This comes after India’s largest refinery resumed purchases of Russian raw materials for domestic production. This was reported by Bloomberg, according to "Komersant Ukrainian".
What volumes are we talking about?
According to the analytical company Kpler, the vessels are carrying almost 2.2 million barrels of Urals crude oil and are heading to the giant Jamnagar complex. The cargo is expected to arrive in early January.
Kpler tracks the tankers’ routes in real time based on signals transmitted by the vessels’ captains indicating their current location and ports of discharge.
Reliance and Russian oil: what happened before
Reliance, controlled by billionaire Mukesh Ambani, was the world’s largest buyer of Russian oil for most of 2024-2025.
According to Kpler estimates, between January and November last year, more than 40% of the Jamnagar refinery’s oil imports came from Russia.
At the same time, a Reliance spokesperson said that in January the company had no approved cargoes of Russian oil, which emphasizes the gap between official statements and shipping monitoring data.
Sanctions trail
According to Kpler, some of the cargoes were cleared through traders under UK sanctions. One of them is Alghaf Marine DMCC, which is associated with the former Middle East division of Litasco, the trading house of Russia’s Lukoil.
Following the imposition of US sanctions against Rosneft and Lukoil, Reliance announced in November that it would stop using their oil. Instead, the company began purchasing raw materials from Russian producers that are not formally under sanctions.
Previously, Rosneft was Reliance’s key supplier under a long-term contract for 500 thousand barrels per day.
Why this is important for India
In recent years, India has become a key market for Russian oil, but at the same time it has come under increased pressure from the United States due to energy cooperation with Moscow.
This has forced Indian refineries to cut purchases, and last month, Russian oil imports fell to a three-year low. However, discounts on Russian crude, weak refining margins, and uncertainty in trade negotiations with Washington are pushing companies to buy again.
Reliance is not the only buyer
Reliance is not the only buyer of Russian oil in India. State-owned companies Indian Oil Corp. and Bharat Petroleum Corp. also receive cargoes from sellers who are not subject to sanctions.
