Indian refiners appear to have restarted Russian oil imports on tankers operated by sanctioned state-controlled owner Sovcomflot (SCF Group).
Sources told Reuters that the 117,000-dwt aframax SCF Baltica (built 2005) unloaded a 90,000-tonne fuel oil cargo for Reliance at Sikka in Jamnagar on Friday.
AIS data showed the Gabon-flagged ship left Sikka later that day, heading for Suez.
Indian refiners had said last month they would not touch cargoes carried on Sovcomflot ships as Western sanctions started to bite.
The US has sanctioned 14 individual Sovcomflot tankers, but the SCF Baltica is not one of them.
Reuters reported that US officials visited India earlier this month, indicating they wanted to see stable global oil supplies and help ease concerns over Russian imports.
Neither the shipowner nor Reliance is commenting.
Data from LSEG shows more Indian refiners are set to receive Russian cargoes on six other Sovcomflot tankers up to the end of May.
Two further ships are heading to Sikka, while others are due to arrive in Paradip, Vadinar and Mundra.
Load ports are Novorossisyk, Ust-Luga and Primorsk. All of these will import Urals crude.
Plans for domestic P&I club
Last week, TradeWinds reported that India had approved four Russian companies to supply marine insurance while pressing ahead with plans for a domestic protection and indemnity club to ease the pressure of Western sanctions on its oil imports.
Three of the providers, VSK Insurance, Sogaz Insurance Co and AlfaStrakhovanie, have been given authorisation until 20 February 2025 while a licence for Ingrosstrakh Insurance Company was extended to March 2029, according to the shipping regulator’s website.
India has vied with China as the biggest importer of Russian crude since the invasion of Ukraine but volumes have fallen from the highs of May 2023 amid sanctions and pricing issues, Kpler data shows.
Some sanctioned tankers had switched deliveries to China from India after idling for weeks.
