Ditching China, Russian oil tanker anchors off Mangaluru coast amid Gulf crisis

The tanker is currently anchored in the Arabian Sea, about 10 nautical miles off the Mangaluru coast

• Russian oil tanker Aqua Titan arrives off Mangaluru coast
• Several tankers diverted from China to India amid global tensions
• New Mangalore Port waives cargo charges for crude oil and LPG

Did our AI summary help?

A Russian oil-laden tanker, MT Aqua Titan, chartered by Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd (MRPL), has arrived in India on Sunday amid growing concerns over global energy supply due to the escalating conflict in West Asia.

The tanker is currently anchored in the Arabian Sea, about 10 nautical miles off the Mangaluru coast.

The Russian oil-laden tanker that was bound for China has U-turned in the South China Sea. The Aqua Titan arrived in New Mangalore with its Urals cargo that it loaded from a Baltic Sea port in late January, according to ship-tracking data.

Tankers Divert to India

The Aframax vessel originally signaled the Chinese port of Rizhao as its destination before making an about-face in Southeast Asian waters in mid-March, days after the US gave the green light for India to temporarily increase Russian purchases.

At least seven tankers carrying Russian oil have switched their destinations mid-voyage from China to India, according to Vortexa Ltd., as reported by Bloomberg with all of India’s major refiners now in the market for the country’s crude.

Separately, the Suezmax Zouzou N. is signaling India’s Sikka as its next destination, with an estimated arrival date of March 25, ship-tracking data show. The tanker is carrying Kazakh CPC Blend crude, according to Kpler. It had sailed from Novorossiysk on Russia’s Black Sea to the waters off Rizhao, before turning around in early March to make its way to India.

Energy flows continue amid volatility

Its arrival comes at a time when global energy markets remain volatile, with supply chain disruptions and geopolitical tensions impacting crude and energy availability.

Earlier in the day, a cargo ship carrying Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) from Texas, United States, arrived at the New Mangalore Port in Mangaluru.

On Friday, the Shipping Ministry informed that New Mangalore Port has waived cargo-related charges for crude oil and LPG from March 14 to 31. It also said that there is no congestion reported at any port.

During the interministerial briefing, Special Secretary of the Shipping Ministry, Rajesh Kumar Sinha, said all 22 Indian ships and 611 sailors in the Persian Gulf are safe amid the West Asia conflict.

"There has been no report of any maritime incident in the last 24 hours. All our 22 ships and 611 Indian sailors in the Persian Gulf region are safe, and we are continuously monitoring them... There is no congestion in any port...New Mangalore Port has issued a circular for waiver of all cargo-related charges for crude and LPG, which is valid from 14 March to 31 March," the Shipping Ministry official said.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday, the Indian-flagged crude oil tanker, Jag Laadki, successfully arrived at Adani Ports Mundra in Gujarat, marking a significant addition to the nation's energy imports.

Earlier, the two Indian-flagged LPG carriers safely crossed the Strait of Hormuz before arriving in India on March 16 and 17. MT Shivalik and MT Nanda Devi - carrying approximately 92,712 metric tonnes of LPG - crossed the Strait of Hormuz on March 13.

This comes as the conflict in West Asia enters its fourth week, with trade routes through the Strait of Hormuz hampered.