Mangaluru: The crude tanker MT Aqua Titan, carrying Russian oil, berthed at the New Mangaluru port on Saturday evening.
The mid-sized tanker, loaded at a Baltic seaport in January, was originally bound for the Chinese port of Rizhao with its load. However, it made a U-Turn towards India after refiners in the country outbid the Chinese.
This is the first of seven tankers, carrying Russian oil, headed towards Indian ports.
After the Middle East crisis hit energy supplies, Russia offered New Delhi oil that was in tankers close to the Indian coast. Soon after this, the US lifted curbs on the purchase of oil from Russia.
With movement of oil and other commodities becoming difficult through the Strait of Hormuz, India made a major push to secure energy supplies.
While it has got the tankers with Russian oil re-routed, India also used its friendly terms with Iran to negotiate the passage of three tankers through the Strait. Two of these carried LPG. About 22 more Indian-flagged vessels are now lined up to the west of the Strait, awaiting clearance.
The Strait of Hormuz is crucial for India as roughly 40 to 50 per cent of its crude oil imports pass through it. Around half of the country’s LNG imports and most of its LPG shipments also transit the key chokepoint, as reported by India Today.
Bloomberg has reported that the second tanker with Russian oil – MT Zouzou N – is expected to reach Gujarat’s Sikka port on March 25. The suezmax vessel reversed its course in early March.
The arrival of the seven tankers carrying Russian oil is expected to mitigate the short-term crude oil crunch in India.
In a related development, a major LPG consignment has reached India at a time when supply of cylinders to commercial outlets has been badly affected across the country. LPG carrier Pyxis Pioneer, sailing from Texas in the US, docked at the New Mangaluru Port on Sunday. Necessary safety checks and unloading procedures are currently underway at the port.
