EU Resumes Imports of Indian Diesel After Sanction Hiatus
The European Union has received its first cargo of Indian diesel after a six-week hiatus that coincided with the implementation of a ban on oil products based on Russian crude.
According to commodity analytics firm Vortexa, the LR2 oil tanker Proteus Bohemia discharged 105,000 metric tons of diesel from Reliance’s 1.4 million barrels/day Jamnagar refinery in Rotterdam on Tuesday. This is the first Indian diesel cargo discharging at an EU port since the Lausanne Star – which was unloaded in Antwerp on Jan. 14.
The pause in EU imports from India has been likely driven by buyers’ concerns around the feedstock used for the production of the fuel.
India, as well as Turkey and China, relies on discounted Russian crude as a feedstock for oil products that are then exported to Europe. Since Jan. 21, market participants need to show proof that no Russian crude was used in the production of the fuel.
According to market sources, Reliance was still receiving Russian crude as of this month and has struggled to find willing buyers for its middle distillate cargoes in Europe – even though the company has appeased EU legislators by keeping at least part of the Jamnagar complex free of Russian oil.
However, such concerns seem to be resolving, with a further 567,000 mt of diesel from Jamnagar provisionally scheduled to arrive in March, according to Vortexa. This would be up significantly from 105,000 mt in February and 194,000 mt in January, although still far from a monthly high of 1.02 million mt seen in October 2025.
Meanwhile, imports from Turkey – another country where refiners process Russian crude – have also been lower in recent weeks. The EU received just 104,000 mt of diesel from Turkey in the first rolling month since Jan. 21, compared with 299,000 mt between Dec. 21 and Jan. 20.
According to various market sources, Turkish oil refiner Tupras has stopped sourcing Russian crude for its 239,000 b/d Izmir refinery in Aliaga in order to comply with the sanctions. The 227,000 b/d Izmit refinery (Tupras) and the 260,000 b/d Star refinery (Socar) continue to receive Russian oil.
In any case, market sources told OPIS that Turkish exports into Europe will likely remain low throughout 2026 as refiners focus on supplying the domestic market – which is structurally short on diesel.
“In Turkey, the situation is more complex (than in India). Turkey is a net importer of middle distillates, but over the last few years they have been importing Russian crude and diesel while exporting diesel to Europe. Now, due to the sanctions, they have reduced those exports,” Kpler’s lead analyst Esteban Moreno told OPIS.
Reporting by Jaime Llinares Taboada, jllinares@opisnet.com