Indian Refiners Turn to Latin America and Africa to Replace Russian Oil

17 Mar 2025 CW Team

India's crude oil imports from Latin America and Africa increased slightly in February as refiners sought alternative sources, fearing disruptions in Russian oil supplies due to stricter US sanctions, according to trade data.

India became the largest buyer of discounted Russian oil after Western sanctions were imposed on Moscow following its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

In February, Russian oil imports fell by 3% compared to January, amounting to about 1.54 million barrels per day (bpd), with Russia's share in India's total oil imports dropping to its lowest since January 2024.

India's oil imports from Africa rose to 330,000 bpd in February, up from 143,000 bpd in January, while imports from South America surged 60% to 453,600 bpd.

Following the imposition of sweeping US sanctions on Russian oil producers and tankers in January, disrupting supply from the world's second-largest oil producer, Russia's share of India's total oil imports declined to around 30.5%, while Latin America's share increased to 9%, the highest since December 2021.

In February, India received a rare shipment of Gabon's Etame grade oil and for the first time, Argentina's Medanito oil.

Indian refiners maximised their purchase of Russian oil ahead of a US-imposed deadline on February 27 to settle some energy deals, with several vessels carrying Russian oil arriving in Indian ports towards the end of the month.

Infrastructure Transport

13 Oct 2025

Tata, Airbus to Build India’s First Private Helicopter Line

In a landmark development for India’s aerospace sector, Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) and Airbus will establish the country’s first private-sector helicopter assembly line in Vemagal, Karnataka. The facility will manufacture the Airbus H125 and H125M, marking a significant milestone in India’s push for self-reliance in aviation and defence manufacturing. The new Final Assembly Line (FAL) will produce the H125, the world’s best-selling single-engine helicopter, known for its versatility and performance in extreme environments. The first ‘Made in India’ H125 is expected to ro..

NeGD to Support Bharat Taxi in Building Cooperative Ride Platform

In a significant move for India’s digital and mobility transformation, the National e-Governance Division (NeGD) of the Digital India Corporation, under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), has entered into an advisory partnership with Sahakar Taxi Cooperative Limited, the company behind Bharat Taxi — a first-of-its-kind, cooperative-led national ride-hailing platform. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between NeGD and Sahakar Taxi to provide strategic advisory and technical support covering key areas such as platform integration, cybersecurity..

MeitY Hosts Pre-Summit for India–AI Impact Summit 2026

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India, hosted a series of Pre-Summit events for the upcoming India–AI Impact Summit 2026 at the India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2025 in New Delhi. These sessions mark a key milestone ahead of the main summit, scheduled for 19–20 February 2026 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi. Delivering the inaugural address, S. Krishnan, Secretary, MeitY, highlighted India’s innovative and frugal approach to AI development. “We have adopted innovative means by learning from others’ experiences to build projects and products that..