Russia is preparing to import petrol by sea due to the risk of a fuel shortage
Russia intends to begin importing petrol by sea as early as June, in an attempt to tackle the fuel shortage that has arisen following a series of attacks on oil refining infrastructure. Four industry sources told Reuters this.
According to them, a consignment of petrol is expected to arrive this month via one of Russia’s western ports. The fuel is due to come from Asia, although details regarding the volume of supplies and the suppliers have not been disclosed.
One of the sources noted that Russia had considered importing petrol by sea as early as last year, but at that time domestic stocks were sufficient to meet demand.
This year, the situation has changed due to months of attacks on oil refineries, pipelines and fuel storage facilities. According to the agency, among the latest facilities to come under attack were the TANECO oil refinery and the Moscow Oil Refinery. Following the attacks, processing of crude oil was suspended at both plants.
According to Reuters, reports of fuel shortages have come from around a dozen Russian regions. The shortages have been officially confirmed in occupied Crimea and two regions of Siberia.
Against this backdrop, the Russian government announced a ban on petrol exports by fuel producers until the end of July. The authorities explain this as necessary to secure the domestic market during a period of heightened seasonal demand.
To compensate for the fuel shortage, Moscow is also purchasing petrol from Belarus and had previously considered the possibility of additional supplies from Kazakhstan. At the same time, the agency’s sources believe that none of these countries has sufficient spare capacity to support Russia should the fuel crisis deepen.
Reuters’ sources also noted that maritime imports may be temporary in nature and are unlikely to provide significant volumes of supply due to logistical difficulties and the high cost of such fuel.
The Russian Ministry of Energy did not respond to the agency’s request for comment.
According to industry sources, Russia exported nearly 5 million tonnes of petrol last year, equivalent to approximately 117,000 barrels per day.
