Indian refiners boost fuel exports to West by 43% using Russian crude

Indian and regional refineries that process Russian crude shipped approximately 1.2 billion USD worth of oil products to sanctioning countries in September, according to research from the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA). The surge represented a 43 per cent month-on-month increase from August, signalling growing integration of Russian energy supplies into refining operations across South and Southeast Asia.

Reliance Industries' flagship Jamnagar refinery in Gujarat dominated Western exports, supplying six of seven cargo shipments that arrived at European Union ports during the period, despite the bloc's explicit ban on fuel derivatives produced from Russian crude. The facility exported an estimated 667 million euros' worth of products to the EU, along with 122 million euros destined for the United States. From July through September, Russian crude accounted for 32 per cent of Jamnagar's total crude imports.

The CREA analysis encompasses refineries across India, Turkey and Brunei. European destinations received the lion's share of regional exports at 667 million euros, followed by Australia at 168 million euros and the United States at 154 million euros. New Zealand accounted for 19 million euros in purchases. Researchers estimated approximately 295 million euros' worth of the exported products originated from Russian crude feedstock.

European Union member states absorbed the majority of shipments, with Italy receiving three of seven cargoes, Romania two, while Spain and Cyprus each received single shipments. The data underscores how Indian refineries have become critical nodes in circumventing Western sanctions on Russian energy products, leveraging their processing capacity and geographic positioning to serve international markets.