By Mohi Narayan and Nidhi Verma
NEW DELHI (Reuters) -A vessel under European Union sanctions is discharging Russian naphtha at a western India port operated by the Adani group, ship tracking data showed on Tuesday, the first such instance since the conglomerate barred blacklisted vessels from its terminals.
The medium-range tanker Prometei, carrying about 30,000 metric tons (260,000 barrels) of Russian naphtha, is discharging its cargo for HPCL-Mittal Energy at the Mundra port, according to two industry sources and shipping data from Kpler and LSEG.
The cargo was loaded at the Russian Baltic port of Ust-Luga on September 22 and was destined for Mundra, Kpler data showed.
Naphtha is used to make petrochemicals and for gasoline blending.
HMEL and the Adani Group did not respond to Reuters’ emails seeking comments.
This is the first sanctioned tanker to call at the Mundra port since the country’s largest private port operator, Adani Group, owned by billionaire Gautam Adani, banned the entry of tankers that are sanctioned by Western countries at all of its ports from September 11.
The EU, UK and the United States have imposed a raft of sanctions on Russian entities to curb Moscow’s revenue in funding its war in Ukraine.
India has become a major importer of Russian naphtha since the war broke out, importing about 54,000 barrels per day so far this year, Kpler data showed.
In October, naphtha loadings from Russian ports bound for India totalled around 185,000 tons and most of the cargoes are still at sea, LSEG data showed, up from about 170,000 tons in September.
Last month, Adani barred a vessel carrying refined fuels chartered by Nayara Energy, a refiner sanctioned by the UK and EU, from entering its Mundra port, according to two sources familiar with the matter.
The MR-sized tanker Rose Makis had not been sanctioned and was loaded with fuel meant for state-run Hindustan Petroleum Corp, which has stepped up purchases from Nayara, the sources said.
Rose Makis was diverted to Mumbai port after Adani denied entry, they said and LSEG data showed.
HPCL and Nayara did not respond to Reuters’ emails seeking comments.
(Reporting by Mohi Narayan and Nidhi Verma in New Delhi and Reuters in Moscow)
