New Delhi: A US-sanctioned tanker transporting Iranian crude oil has altered course mid-journey from India to China, according to tracking data, injecting uncertainty into a shipment that could have restarted New Delhi’s imports after nearly seven years.
Built in 2002, the Aframax Ping Shun — hit by US sanctions in 2025 — now lists Dongying, China, carrying about 600,000 barrels (6 lakh) of Iranian oil. Kpler records showed Vadinar, Gujarat, as its prior aim earlier this week.
Indian refiners are probing at-sea Iranian cargoes following Washington’s latest sanctions waiver. A Vadinar arrival would have marked India’s first Iranian crude intake since 2019, when escalated US measures ended purchases.
Sumit Ritolia, Kpler’s Lead Research Analyst (Refining and Modelling) who followed the trajectory, said the vessel had been en route to Vadinar for the past three days before dropping India as its declared destination near arrival and switching its signal to China, the India Today reported.
Ritolia linked the route alteration to payment complications, as sellers harden conditions by abandoning prior 30–60 day credit periods and pushing for immediate or short-term cash settlements.
The buyer and seller involved remain unidentified, with ships’ Automatic Identification System (AIS) — required for commercial vessels — permitting easy updates to declared destinations.
Vadinar is home to Nayara Energy’s Rosneft-backed refinery, which processes 20 million tonnes annually. Ritolia pointed out that such last-minute diversions are typical in Iranian crude shipments, but they expose rising exposure to payment structures and trading partner uncertainties.
Resolving the financial sticking points could still send the cargo to an Indian refinery, a development that emphasises business dynamics now matching logistics in shaping Iranian oil routes beyond China.
The oil ministry affirms decisions on Iranian imports will follow “techno-commercial feasibility. Before 2018 sanctions bit hard, India ranked among Tehran’s top clients, snapping up light and heavy grades like Iran Light and Iran Heavy for their bargain prices and refinery fit.
Iranian crude once filled 11.5% of India’s needs, peaking at 518,000 barrels per day in 2018 before sliding to 268,000 bpd in early 2019 under a brief US waiver. Post-May 2019, supplies shifted to the Middle East, US, and elsewhere.
Last month, Washington issued a 30-day waiver for at-sea Iranian oil purchases to temper prices during the US-Israel war with Iran. It expires on April 19.
