Indian refiners’ love of Middle East crude should not be forgotten
Russian oil may be top of India’s menu, but its appetite for Middle East grades will always be a crucial part of the diet
The Middle East has consistently been the largest supplier of crude oil to India. The region’s share has been eaten into by cheap Russian grades during the last two years, but barrels from Saudi Arabia, Iraq and the rest of the Mideast Gulf is expected to be the mainstay of Indian crude imports in the medium and long run. The headlines for the past two years have told the same story: Russia has been the top crude source by single country for India since the Ukraine conflict broke out in February 2022. Russian supplies have hovered between 35% and 40% in each month as Moscow provides deep discounts on its crude. But taken as a whole, the Middle East still provides the majority of the crude. M

Also in this section
16 April 2025
Israel continues to strike new oil and gas concession agreements and gas exports continue to rise, but an overreliance on Egypt remains the big concern
15 April 2025
Loss of US shipments of key petrochemical feedstock could see Beijing look to Tehran with tariffs set to upend global LPG flows
15 April 2025
Australia’s East Coast Gas projections for a supply shortfall have been pushed further out, but the challenge to meet evolving gas demand and the shifting assumptions around the fundamentals remain just as stark
15 April 2025
Long-delayed prospects for onshore LNG production in Mozambique have improved thanks to US financing approval, but security challenges blight way ahead