Russia plans to import fuel by sea in June, with a cargo of gasoline arriving through a western port. This is how one of the worldʼs largest exporters of oil and petroleum products is trying to cope with a gasoline shortage after large-scale Ukrainian drone attacks on its oil refineries. Earlier, the Russian government banned gasoline exports until the end of July due to the shortage.
Reuters reports this, citing four industry sources.
One source said the gasoline would be supplied from Asia. Another said Russia had considered importing fuel by sea last year, but in the end had sufficient domestic capacity.
Moscow has also imported fuel from Belarus and has in the past turned to Kazakhstan for small volumes. However, the sources added, neither country has enough spare capacity to support Russia in the event of a deeper supply crisis.
One source said that seaborne imports could also only be a temporary measure and are unlikely to provide significant volumes due to logistical challenges and high prices.
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