Crude imports soar from US, Middle East, W. Africa to meet Dec.-Jan. supply

India’s domestic refiners have started diversifying flows with traditional suppliers in the Middle East acting as anchor, coupled with barrels from the US and West Africa. According to Kpler, before the US sanctions deadline, India’s crude imports from Russia were expected to remain very strong at 1.8-1.9 million barrels per day (mb/d) as refiners continued to prioritise the most economical barrels. Subsequently, the flows will decline noticeably in the near term. No Indian refiner other than Nayara’s Vadinar refinery is likely to deal with Rosneft and Lukoil, the Russian oil giants sanctioned by the US, as per reports. Russia has been accounting for 35-38% of India’s cumulative crude oil imports, which are expected to decline by more than half, with the real impact to be visible from December 2025 onwards, as per a report.

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