Russia-linked ships among vessels turning away from sanctioned Indian refinery
Even Russian-trading ships are avoiding India’s Vadinar Refinery following its sanctioning by the European Union.
Signal Ocean analyst Maria Bertzeletou found several ships altering their journeys heading to or sailing away from the Rosneft-backed refinery, including the 105,380-dwt Omni (built 2008), which pulled a U-turn in the Gulf of Kutch and changed its destination on AIS.
Bertzeletou said the ship’s movements suggested “a shift away from the politically sensitive terminal”.
According to AIS, the aframax was heading towards the terminal on Friday, the same day the refinery ended up on the EU blacklist.
Instead, it spent several days sailing in a circle before heading back north to Mundra, where it discharged.
The Omni was acquired by Marshall Island-registered owner and manager Omi Lines in February and is its only ship, according to databases.
It was the vessel’s third owner and fourth manager in four years, and it has called on Russia several times.
Bertzeletou found other ships that had changed course after loading at Vadinar or had taken extra time in port, suggesting issues with cargo clearances.
She said the clearest sign of Western disengagement from the refinery came when the 73,400-dwt Talara (built 2010) made a U-turn and appeared to head back to the Middle East Gulf.
The LR1 was on charter to BP at the time and is controlled by Columbia Shipmanagement, according to databases.
“This mid-voyage U-turn highlights a deliberate operational decision by a major Western oil company to distance itself from product flows linked to Russian supply chains,” she said.
AIS data shows the Talara arrived in the Gulf of Kutch on 19 July.
It turned around the next day, having never called on any port in India, and is sailing southwest from India.
Sanctions on the refinery came amid a slew of EU moves against Russian oil trading.
In addition to the refinery, the companies behind the Gabon and Comoros ship registries were sanctioned, as well as 105 ships and the captain of an aframax tanker.
The bloc also moved forward with a lower, dynamic oil price cap set at $47.60 beginning in September and banned the sale of refined products made with Russian crude from member states.
