Indian port denies entry to tanker carrying Russian crude on document lapse

A tanker carrying Russian crude oil for India’s state-run Indian Oil Corp. has been denied entry to a key port on India’s west coast due to issues with its documentation, according to sources familiar with the situation. 

The vessel, Andaman Skies, a Honduran-flagged tanker built in 2004, had loaded 767,000 barrels of crude oil at the Russian port of Murmansk on February 24, with a scheduled discharge at Vadinar on March 30, Caliber.Az reports, citing Bloomberg.

However, the ship's paperwork seeking approval for docking was not in order, although the specific details regarding the shortcomings remain unclear.

The tanker is currently located in the Arabian Sea, between Oman and India, still fully laden but appears to have halted its movement, according to ship-tracking data.

The Andaman Skies is part of a broader trend where India has become an essential destination for Russian crude oil shipments, particularly after Western sanctions imposed on Moscow following its invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The United States, European Union, and the United Kingdom have targeted Russian vessels, complicating the flow of trade. While the Andaman Skies was not among the ships blacklisted by the US earlier this year, it has faced sanctions from British authorities.

The denial of entry to the tanker could have implications for the ongoing efforts of India, one of the world’s largest oil importers, to secure Russian crude despite the geopolitical tensions and sanctions. The ship's registered owner, Durbeen Navigation Ltd., did not immediately respond to inquiries regarding the incident.

For the record, Russia’s seaborne crude trade continues to face significant challenges, with companies around the world navigating an increasingly complex regulatory environment.

By Khagan Isayev