A crude oil tanker bound for China changed course and is now headed to New Mangalore port carrying zero point one one million (mn) tonnes (t) of Urals crude, equivalent to zero point seven seven mn barrels. The Cameroon registered tanker Aqua Titan departed Primorsk on January 18 and was recorded at Port Suez before transiting through the Singapore Strait. Port sources said the ship is expected to arrive on March 20 and that its arrival would bolster supplies for Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd.

Ship tracking data showed the vessel appeared in North Europe and West Europe in January, South Asia in February and in Southeast Asia in March, indicating that it circumnavigated India before making a U-turn to head to the west coast. Reports said the change of course followed a United States decision to allow India to import Russian crude for 30 days. Analysts noted that such mid voyage changes are uncommon for chartered ships and said the routing was atypical.

Sanctions records indicate the ship was blacklisted by multiple jurisdictions and was previously named Lang Ya. A senior analyst at Rystad Energy characterised the vessel as part of a sanctioned fleet that operates with limited transparency and said such vessels are effectively controlled by the Russian state. Port authorities said one tanker was already discharging Russian Urals crude at the single point mooring (SPM) and that at least three more tankers are expected at the port by month end.

Additional supplies are arriving from Saudi Arabian terminals after diversions around the Strait of Hormuz, including shipments from Yanbu totalling zero point one three six mn t and zero point two six mn t destined for Mangalore. The refiner has an installed refining capacity of 18.2 mn t per annum and officials said combined cargoes from Russia and Saudi Arabia will provide adequate stock. The port waived cargo charges for crude and liquefied petroleum gas while vessel handling fees continue to apply, with waivers equivalent to Rs3.4 mn and Rs5 mn reported in recent cases.