On April 26, a vessel controlled by the sanctioned Russian company Sovcomflot unloaded fuel oil at a port in western India. This indicates the resumption of use of SKF vessels for supplies to the key market of Moscow after a short break.
Reuters writes about this with a message to sources.
The SCF Baltica, which was carrying 90,000 tonnes of fuel oil for Reliance Industries, operator of the worldʼs largest refinery in Jamnagar, Gujarat, is expected to leave the port later on Friday after being fully unloaded, the sources said.
Indian oil refiners, including Reliance, have become wary of accepting cargo on Sovcomflot vessels after the US imposed sanctions on the Russian shipping giant amid the war in Ukraine on February 23 and identified 14 crude oil tankers as property in which " Sovcomflot" has a share.
However, during a visit to India earlier this month, US officials said Washington wanted stable global oil supplies and had not asked India to cut imports of Russian oil. That remark, sources at Indian refineries said, helped to allay concerns.
The SCF Baltica is not among the 14 vessels against which Washington has imposed sanctions in recent months. The vessel is managed by Stream Ship Management, based in the UAE, and owned by Ashbourne Navigation.
Another tanker, the Volodymyr Tikhonov, which is expected to arrive next week with Russian oil, is also owned by Stream Ship Management and listed on SKFʼs website as part of its fleet.
- India is the biggest consumer of Russian oil, which is sold at a discount after Western countries stopped buying from Moscow because of its invasion of Ukraine.
- In March 2024, all Indian refineries refused to accept Russian oil transported by Sovcomflot tankers due to US sanctions.