Russia Turns to Indian Gasoline Imports Amid Refining Crisis

The cargo, produced by Nayara Energy at the Vadinar refinery, arrived following a ship-to-ship transfer near Port Said. Two additional shipments are expected shortly as Moscow scrambles to compensate for the loss of refining capacity. The crisis hit home when the 120,000-barrel-per-day Orsk refinery was forced offline after an August 11 attack, tightening supply chains throughout the Urals.

Domestic fuel availability has plummeted, with sales on the St. Petersburg exchange dropping 20% since the start of August. While Russia previously relied on Belarusian imports to bridge supply gaps, the scale of the current disruption has necessitated long-haul sea shipments from Asia. Simultaneously, seaborne petroleum exports have cratered, falling 33.3% in July compared to June, as refinery outages prioritize internal consumption over international trade.