A
drone view shows vessel Aquatica, carrying Russian oil, waiting to be
unloaded at Baniyas port, Syria, March 25, 2025. REUTERS/Karam
al-Masri/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
Saudi Arabia was top buyer of Russian fuel oil in June, data shows
By Reuters
July 23, 2025MOSCOW,
July 23 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia was the top destination for Russian
seaborne fuel oil and vacuum gasoil (VGO) exports in June as the hot
summer season required more energy consumption, according to traders and
LSEG data.
Since
the European Union's full embargo on Russian oil products went into
effect in February 2023, Middle Eastern and Asian countries became the
main destination for Russia's fuel oil and VGO supplies.
Direct
fuel oil and VGO shipments from Russian ports to Saudi Arabia increased
in June by 9% month-on-month to 0.8 million metric tons.
Russian
dark oil products loadings to India and Turkey declined last month
after previous ample supplies by 49% to around 0.34 million tons and by
33% to 0.28 million tons, respectively, shipping data showed.
Nearly
400,000 tons of fuel oil and VGO were supplied in June from the Russian
ports to the Ain Sukhna terminal in Egypt - the big fuel hub, which
often allocates oil products for storage and further exports.
Singapore,
Senegal and China were also among the other top destinations for
Russian fuel oil and VGO export supplies last month, according to LSEG
data.
Only two vessels carrying 180,000 tons of fuel oil from the Russian ports are heading to Asia via the African Cape of Good Hope.
Traders have been diverting Russian oil products cargoes around Africa since December 2023 to avoid the Red Sea due to a heightened risk of attacks by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi group.
All the shipping data above are based on the date of cargo departure.
Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Louise Heavens