Shippers ask to end contracts with Russian-backed refiner Nayara: Report

Fresh European Union sanctions unveiled on July 18 that target Russia and its energy sector over Moscow's war in Ukraine, have been increasingly disruptive to Nayara

The owners of three vessels chartered by India's Nayara Energy have asked to end their contracts with company, six sources familiar with the matter said on Tuesday, under pressure from EU sanctions imposed on the Russian-owned refiner.

Nayara, majority-owned by Russian entities including oil major Rosneft, runs India's third-biggest refinery and exports refined products and also supplies them domestically.

Fresh European Union sanctions unveiled on July 18 that target Russia and its energy sector over Moscow's war in Ukraine, have been increasingly disruptive to Nayara. Reuters earlier reported it has been forced to reduce operations at its 400,000-barrels-per-day refinery due to fuel storage constraints.

India-based Seven Islands Shipping Ltd and Great Eastern Shipping Co (GESCO) have asked Nayara to release the three clean products tankers from their contracts, citing concerns over the sanctions, five of the sources told Reuters.

Seven Islands is seeking the release of its medium-range vessels Bourbon and Courage, while GESCO has sought the return of the Jag Pooja, the sources said.

The sources declined to be named as they were not authorised to speak to the media.

Mumbai-based Nayara did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. It has previously criticised the EU sanctions, calling them "unjust and unilateral".

Seven Islands and GESCO did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Bourbon is anchored near Vadinar port in western India, where Nayara's refinery is based, while Courage and Jag Pooja are floating off Kochi and Ennore ports, respectively, data from analytics firm Kpler showed.

Another tanker, Sanmar Songbird, chartered by Indian state refiner Hindustan Petroleum Corp, was scheduled to load gasoline from Nayara on Tuesday, according to three sources and LSEG data. But it has since been diverted to load from Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd, sources said.

The diversion was due to the sanctions and the lack of available insurance cover for the voyage, they said.

HPCL and Sanmar did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

India has become the biggest importer of Russian seaborne crude since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022.

Last week, Reuters reported that a tanker carrying Russian Urals crude was diverted from Nayara's Vadinar port following the EU sanctions announcement, while two other tankers skipped loading refined products there.

Nayara's CEO resigned in the wake of the new sanctions, and the company filed a court case in India against Microsoft after the U.S. software giant suspended services to the firm.