Imports of Russian oil drop 23% on week of US sanctions

Russia's seaborne oil buyers imported 23% less crude week over week in the seven days to Nov. 25. As US sanctions took effect, key buyers like India and Turkey curtailed their supplies.

Across the globe, deliveries of Russian crude into foreign ports peaked in late November, and have slid since US sanctions were enforced on Nov. 21. The new measures target trade with Russia's two largest oil companies – Lukoil and Rosneft – which account for roughly half the country's crude exports.

According to S&P Global Commodities at Sea data, 20 million barrels of Russian crude landed at foreign ports in the week to Nov. 25, down from a previous five-week average of 23.42 million.

India remained the largest outlet, taking 12 million barrels of crude, but deliveries fell from 16.6 million barrels the previous week. Arrivals at the Reliance Jamnagar marine terminal, home to the world's largest refining complex, fell from 21.4 million barrels to 12.5, while shipments to the Nayara terminal, operated by EU-sanctioned Nayara Energy, fell by 6.3 million barrels week over week.

Falling arrivals coincide with the announcement Nov. 20 that Reliance had halted further imports of Russian crude into the export-oriented refinery at its Jamnagar complex, signaling a major shift from a prominent global buyer. Its decision came after stricter-than-expected sanctions guidance from the Intercontinental Exchange, which signaled declining appetite to make use of exemptions provided under EU law.

Deliveries into Turkey also dropped. In the week to Nov. 25, 500,000 barrels of Russian oil landed at Turkish ports, marking a seven-month low. In contrast, the country had received 1.7 million the previous week and 4.6 million barrels in the final week of October — a two-year high. On a monthly basis, Turkish imports have steadily dropped, sinking from 11.4 million barrels in September to 10.1 million in October, and 6.4 million in November to date, CAS data showed. 

Despite the decline in arrivals on the week, the Reliance terminal remained the main importer of Russian crude, followed by Nayara and China's Bingang, part of Longkou petrochemical terminal, CAS data showed. No arrivals were detected at Turkey's Tupras refinery or STAR refinery terminals. China imported 5.2 million barrels, down slightly from 5.8 the previous week. Singapore drew an additional 800,000 barrels of Russian crude, while arrivals at Hong Kong were stable at 700,000 b/d.

Export activities

In the refined products market, exports from the lead Russian crude buyers stayed mostly stable. Within the week, India exported some 7.1 million barrels of oil products, down from a previous five-week average of 8.4. Turkish refined product exports dipped slightly to 1.2 million barrels, while China hiked its exports to 5.5 million, higher on the week but below the previous five-week average.

Across the three countries, lead export terminals included India's Sikka, which shipped 6 million barrels of products to Africa, the Middle East and Europe. The country's Vadinar refinery, operated by EU-sanctioned Nayara Energy, loaded 500,000 million barrels of product on the week, of which 60% was diesel/gasoil dispatched to Sudan, and the balance was gasoline exported to Oman.

In Turkey, the port of Aliaga exported 800,000 barrels of gasoline in the week to Nov. 25, up 300,000 barrels on the week, while Yarimca exported 300,000 barrels.

At least 1.3 million barrels of oil product exports from India, China and Turkey were marked as inbound for Europe, which has banned fuel made from Russian oil effective from Jan. 21. 2026. Exports were down from 1.7 million barrels the previous week and recent levels of up to 5 million barrels, CAS data showed. Volumes are subject to change, however, and exclude shipments showing interim locations such as the Red Sea and South Africa.