{"id":6829,"date":"2026-04-26T05:11:10","date_gmt":"2026-04-26T05:11:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/?p=6829"},"modified":"2026-04-26T05:11:10","modified_gmt":"2026-04-26T05:11:10","slug":"india-plugs-oil-gap-as-middle-east-supplies-sink","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/?p=6829","title":{"rendered":"India plugs oil gap as Middle East supplies sink"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <div style=\"display: grid; grid-template-columns: 300px 160px; gap: 2px; width: 460px; background: #eee; padding: 2px;\">\r\n\r\n  <!-- \u6574\u884c\u5bbd\u5e7f\u544a -->\r\n  <div style=\"grid-column: 1\/-1; width: 460px; height: 250px; background: #ccc; display: grid; place-items: center;\">\r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e2\" data-zoneid=\"5876674\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n  <div style=\"grid-column: 1\/-1; width: 460px; height: 90px; background: #ccc; display: grid; place-items: center;\">\r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e2\" data-zoneid=\"5876676\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n\r\n  <!-- \u5de6\u4fa7\u7ad6\u6392 -->\r\n  <div style=\"height: 250px; background: #ccc; display: grid; place-items: center;\">\r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e2\" data-zoneid=\"5876672\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n  <div style=\"height: 500px; background: #ccc; display: grid; place-items: center;\">\r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e2\" data-zoneid=\"5876680\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n\r\n  <!-- \u53f3\u4fa7\u6469\u5929\u697c\uff08\u548c\u5de6\u4fa7\u5b8c\u5168\u5bf9\u9f50\uff09 -->\r\n  <div style=\"grid-row: 3\/5; height: 750px; background: #ccc; display: grid; place-items: center;\">\r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e2\" data-zoneid=\"5876678\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n  \r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e6\" data-zoneid=\"5876682\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n<\/div><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p><em><small>India has ramped up purchases of Russian oil and revived alternate supplies from Africa, Iran and Venezuela to blunt a sharp crude shortfall from the Middle East. &#8211; Copyright AFP\/File Idrees MOHAMMED<\/small><\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Anuj SRIVAS<\/em><\/p>\n<p>India has ramped up purchases of Russian oil and revived alternate supplies from Africa, Iran and Venezuela to blunt a sharp crude shortfall from the crisis-ridden Middle East, analysts say.<\/p>\n<p>India, the world\u2019s third-largest oil buyer, normally sources about half of its crude through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway that has seen only a trickle of traffic since the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran on February 28.<\/p>\n<p>India\u2019s heavy import dependence, combined with modest oil reserves compared with major consumers like China, has prompted analysts to warn that India could be among the most vulnerable to a sudden oil price hike.<\/p>\n<p>But while India is grappling with disruptions to cooking gas supplies, it has so far avoided the petrol shortages that have hit some neighbouring nations.<\/p>\n<p>Ship\u2011tracking and import data show that India has partially plugged the gap by turning to old allies, expanding promising ties and reviving suppliers it had not tapped in years.<\/p>\n<p>The biggest backstop has been Russian crude \u2014 a fuel source New Delhi spent much of the past year trying to pivot away from under stiff US tariffs.<\/p>\n<p>Indian refiners imported an average of nearly 1.98 million barrels per day (bpd) from Russia in March, according to trade intelligence firm Kpler \u2014 a sharp jump from the previous two months.<\/p>\n<p>Analysts say the surge was likely aided by a temporary US waiver granted in March covering Russian oil already at sea.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cImports rose from approximately one million bpd in January and February,\u201d said Nikhil Dubey, an analyst at Kpler.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis near\u2011doubling suggests that this additional volume was likely contracted following the sanction waiver,\u201d he told AFP.<\/p>\n<p>\u2013 Useful purchase \u2013<\/p>\n<p>India likely purchased an additional 60 million barrels of Russian oil that will be delivered through April, two trade analysts said.<\/p>\n<p>Washington\u2019s exemptions have drawn criticism from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who says they complicate efforts to choke off Russia\u2019s revenues more than four years into its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.<\/p>\n<p>But Kyiv gained little leverage after US President Donald Trump last week extended the waiver on Russian seaborne oil by another month.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe extension gives Indian refiners the runway they urgently needed,\u201d said Rahul Choudhary, vice\u2011president at Rystad Energy.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIndian refiners will likely move quickly to lock in the additional barrels the extension unlocks before the May 16 deadline.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Other markets have also aided India.<\/p>\n<p>Imports from Angola averaged 327,000 bpd in March, data from Kpler shows, nearly three times what India received in February.<\/p>\n<p>Industry watchers say African crude purchases were made before the United States struck Iran and have proven to be useful.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA lot of the uptick you\u2019re seeing from Angola in March or Nigeria in April comes because we were (already) looking at sources other than Russia,\u201d an official at a state\u2011run refiner told AFP, requesting anonymity because they were not authorised to speak with journalists.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s now come in handy because shipments from Iraq and most of the Middle East have fallen heavily.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>According to Kpler, crude from both Iran and Venezuela began arriving this month.<\/p>\n<p>Imports from Iran averaged 276,000 bpd as of mid\u2011April, while shipments from Venezuela stood at around 137,000 bpd, preliminary data from Kpler shows.<\/p>\n<p>The purchases have proven to be a fortuitous windfall for refiners who largely steered clear of both suppliers previously to avoid US ire.<\/p>\n<p>\u2013 Higher prices \u2013<\/p>\n<p>Despite the diversification, the road ahead looks difficult.<\/p>\n<p>India\u2019s overall crude imports fell in March, sliding to 4.5 million bpd from 5.2 million in February, according to Kpler.<\/p>\n<p>Analysts also cautioned that oil from the African nations has limits as a substitute.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn a prolonged Iran conflict scenario, African crudes can partially backfill supply. However, they are unlikely to fully replace Middle Eastern barrels on a structural basis due to crude slate mismatches,\u201d said Dubey, explaining Indian refineries were configured for different grades than what comes from the African countries.<\/p>\n<p>Higher prices are also a problem.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe era of cheap oil is over for now, but access has been preserved. Either way, India doesn\u2019t have the luxury of walking away,\u201d said Choudhary, noting that April barrels were secured at between $5 and $15 above the Brent global oil benchmark.<\/p>\n<p>State\u2011run retailers have yet to raise pump prices, with the government instead cutting excise duties on fuel.<\/p>\n<p>Some analysts warn prices could rise by as much as 28 rupees (30 cents) per litre once voting in key state elections ends later this month.<\/p>\n<p>The oil ministry acknowledged Thursday that government\u2011owned fuel companies were incurring losses but denied that a price hike was imminent.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIndia is the only country where petrol and diesel prices haven\u2019t increased in the last four years,\u201d it said.<\/p>\n<p>The government and state oil firms \u201chave taken relentless steps in order to insulate Indian citizens from steep increases in international prices\u201d.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><!-- \u603b\u5bb9\u5668\uff1a\u6700\u5927\u5bbd908px Grid\u7d27\u51d1\u5e03\u5c40 -->\r\n<div style=\"display: grid; 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display:grid; place-items:center;\">\r\n\t\r\n<!-- JuicyAds v3.0 -->\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async src=\"https:\/\/poweredby.jads.co\/js\/jads.js\"><\/script>\r\n<ins id=\"1114303\" data-width=\"125\" data-height=\"125\"><\/ins>\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async>(adsbyjuicy = window.adsbyjuicy || []).push({'adzone':1114303});<\/script>\r\n<!--JuicyAds END-->\r\n\t<\/div>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n\r\n  <!-- \u53f3\u4fa7\u7ad6\u680f\uff1a160\u00d7600 \u6574\u5217\u9ad8\u5e7f\u544a -->\r\n  <div style=\"grid-row:3\/8; height:600px;  display:grid; place-items:center;\">\r\n    <!-- JuicyAds v3.0 -->\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async src=\"https:\/\/poweredby.jads.co\/js\/jads.js\"><\/script>\r\n<ins id=\"1114301\" data-width=\"160\" data-height=\"600\"><\/ins>\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async>(adsbyjuicy = window.adsbyjuicy || []).push({'adzone':1114301});<\/script>\r\n<!--JuicyAds END-->\r\n  <\/div>\r\n\r\n<\/div><br \/>\n<br \/> India plugs oil gap as Middle East supplies sink<br \/>\n<br \/>#India #plugs #oil #gap #Middle #East #supplies #sink<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>India has ramped up purchases of Russian oil and revived alternate supplies from Africa, Iran&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6830,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[508,3639,4917,507,396,7631,6522,3749],"class_list":["post-6829","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-stories","tag-east","tag-gap","tag-india","tag-middle","tag-oil","tag-plugs","tag-sink","tag-supplies"],"featured_image_urls":{"full":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/17e726ca37807effb4e2957c4285e558220155e5.jpg",768,512,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/17e726ca37807effb4e2957c4285e558220155e5-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/17e726ca37807effb4e2957c4285e558220155e5-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/17e726ca37807effb4e2957c4285e558220155e5.jpg",640,427,false],"large":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/17e726ca37807effb4e2957c4285e558220155e5.jpg",640,427,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/17e726ca37807effb4e2957c4285e558220155e5.jpg",768,512,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/17e726ca37807effb4e2957c4285e558220155e5.jpg",768,512,false],"covernews-slider-full":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/17e726ca37807effb4e2957c4285e558220155e5.jpg",768,512,false],"covernews-slider-center":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/17e726ca37807effb4e2957c4285e558220155e5-768x500.jpg",768,500,true],"covernews-featured":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/17e726ca37807effb4e2957c4285e558220155e5.jpg",768,512,false],"covernews-medium":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/17e726ca37807effb4e2957c4285e558220155e5-540x340.jpg",540,340,true],"covernews-medium-square":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/17e726ca37807effb4e2957c4285e558220155e5-400x250.jpg",400,250,true]},"author_info":{"display_name":"admin","author_link":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/?author=1"},"category_info":"<a href=\"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/?cat=7\" rel=\"category\">Stories<\/a>","tag_info":"Stories","comment_count":"0","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6829","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6829"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6829\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6830"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6829"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6829"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6829"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}