Sanctioned Russian Oil Tankers Head To India Despite U.S. Blacklisting

Russia is sending crude oil shipments to India on tankers that were blacklisted by the U.S. Treasury on January 10.

Shipping data reviewed by Bloomberg shows that at least five sanctioned vessels have loaded Russian crude after the new U.S. measures took effect.

India has stated that it will allow sanctioned tankers to dock only if they are loaded before January 10 and arrive by February 27. However, all five shipments in question were loaded after the deadline. It remains unclear whether India will accept them or not.

According to Bloomberg, three tankers left the Arctic port of Murmansk in the week leading up to January 26.

These vessels, carrying oil pumped by the sanctioned Russian company Gazprom Neft, are travelling through the Suez Canal towards India.

Gazprom Neft transferred its crude onto sanctioned shuttle tankers, which then delivered the cargo to a sanctioned floating storage unit at the port before being loaded onto the outbound ships.

Meanwhile, in the Pacific, at least two shipments of Sokol crude from Russia’s Sakhalin Island are also making their way to India. Two Sovcomflot-owned tankers, Pavel Chernysh and Viktor Konetsky (both built in 2005), were sanctioned by the U.S. on January 10.

Shipping data showed that both initially listed their destination as Sikka, India.

However, the Viktor Konetsky later transferred its cargo onto an unsanctioned vessel off the Russian port of Nakhodka. This vessel has not yet declared a destination or moved from the port.

The Pavel Chernysh has remained off the coast of Yeosu, South Korea, a location commonly used for ship-to-ship oil transfers.

Despite the new sanctions, Russia’s overall crude exports have not seen a major decline. A four-week rolling average of shipments observed by Bloomberg showed little change in the period ending January 26.

While shipment levels remain low compared to historical standards, Russia has continued to transport crude through alternative routes.

Russia’s daily crude shipments increased by 11%, reaching 3.07 million barrels per day- about 320,000 barrels more than the previous week. The four-week average flow also slightly rose to 2.96 million barrels per day.

However, crude shipments for the first four weeks of 2025 averaged 290,000 barrels per day lower than the 2024 average, marking a 9% decrease.

The increase in shipments from Russia’s Arctic and Pacific ports has balanced out declining exports from the country’s Baltic terminals. Ust-Luga, a smaller Baltic port, has seen lower shipments after a slump in late December.

Exports from the larger Primorsk terminal also dropped, reversing gains from the previous week. Indian refiners are hoping that the new U.S. administration may ease sanctions introduced by the Biden government.

References: Bloomberg, Invezz

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