Daily News Blog

Crude shipments from Russian Black Sea ports to India down by two-thirds: report

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The ongoing Ukraine-Russia conflict has led to a 66% reduction in oil loadings bound for India from Russian Black Sea ports in the last two weeks, according to Bimco, a leading shipowners association. Although Russia’s Baltic ports have the major share of India’s crude imports from Russia, Black Sea ports do provide some 30% of India’s needs. In June, more than half of India’s crude oil imports came from Russia.

Ukraine’s Black Sea attacks have been concentrated around the CPC Novorossiysk terminal that had supplied at the rate of 0.7 million barrels per day to India in June. India’s oil import requirement is 5 million barrels a day. “Crude supplies have been secured till the end of this month. If the situation persists beyond August, however, India will need to find alternative sources,” says Pankaj Srivastava, Senior Vice President at Rystad.

Meanwhile, at least five Indian seafarers have been killed in ship attacks in Black Sea in July -- presumably from attacks by both belligerents. Two from a July 25 incident are still reported missing.

India has year-to-date been the single largest destination country from Russia’s Black Sea ports, receiving 25% of the exports from Russian ports in the Black Sea and Sea of Azov, according to Bimco.

On July 6, 2026, Ukraine launched Operation MoLoChKa, a large-scale maritime drone campaign starting with Russia-linked shipping in the Sea of Azov. Ukraine says the operation aims to disrupt Russian oil, fuel and cargo logistics. “Initially, the campaign reportedly targeted smaller ships operating from Sea of Azov ports and was expanded into the Black Sea on July 15. By July 28, Ukraine claimed that more than 200 ships had been attacked,” says Niels Rasmussen, Bimco’s Chief Shipping Analyst.

Ukraine’s drone operation has disrupted Sea of Azov shipments and reportedly contributed to Russia suspending navigation through the Kerch Strait and the Don-Azov Canal, significantly hindering export flows, he says. Oil loadings from the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) terminal in Novorossiysk have fallen 62% during the past two weeks compared to the previous four weeks, adds Mr. Rasmussen.

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