India remained the world’s largest destination for Russian crude in September, although imports declined as stronger Chinese buying tightened available supplies, according to an analysis of Kpler ship-tracking data. India received about 1.82 mn barrels per day (bpd) of Russian crude during the month, compared with approximately 1.49 mn bpd for China.

India’s September imports were down from 2.6 mn bpd in June and 2.57 mn bpd in July, representing a fall of about 29 per cent from the July level. Imports stood at 2.02 mn bpd in August. Kpler expects October volumes to remain broadly stable at 1.8-1.9 mn bpd, based on cargoes currently being tracked.

The decline reflects tighter availability and increased competition from Chinese refiners, alongside reduced Chinese access to Iranian crude. Kpler said India was diversifying its supply base rather than abandoning Russian crude, which remains a significant part of the country’s import mix. Additional supplies are coming from the Middle East, the Americas and other regions.

Venezuelan crude has also returned to India’s import basket this year after being largely absent in recent years, with flows accelerating from April. Venezuela supplied about 250,000 bpd to India in August and 257,000 bpd in September, while shipments to the United States were approximately 452,000 bpd and 563,000 bpd respectively.

Reliance Industries’ Jamnagar complex is the main Indian buyer of Venezuelan crude because its refining configuration can process heavy and extra-heavy grades. State-owned refiners have purchased the crude opportunistically, with Kpler tracking cargoes delivered to Indian Oil Corporation’s Paradip refinery. Indian arrivals of Venezuelan crude are expected to remain relatively strong in October at about 350,000 bpd, although some late-month cargoes could arrive in November because of the long voyage.