India Rejects Shadow Fleet Tanker Carrying Russian Oil, Sparking Controversy

India continues to be a major player in the Russian oil market, but its relationship with the shadow fleet has been anything but smooth. Recently, India made headlines by rejecting a tanker due to issues with its paperwork.

The crude oil vessel Andaman Skies, which can carry 111,000 deadweight tons, is currently hanging out in the Arabian Sea between India and Oman after being denied entry at Vadinar’s oil terminal. According to reports from Reuters, this ship was supposed to dock on March 27 with around 100,000 metric tons of Russian crude onboard but was turned away instead.

This year marks two decades since the ship’s launch in 2004—a notable milestone under Indian maritime laws. Both Bloomberg and Reuters have noted that it was sent back as it didn’t possess valid seaworthiness certificates from an approved authority. Older vessels like this one face stricter documentation requirements in India.

The tanker changed hands last year when Delta Tankers of Greece sold it; now it’s registered under Indian ownership. Interestingly, while Equasis shows that it was flagged in the Cook Islands back in 2023 before switching again this year, there’s confusion about its current flag—some sources say Honduras while others claim Tanzania.

Bloomberg also highlighted that the vessel carries P&I insurance from a Russian firm called Soglasie. However, Equasis indicates that its last inspections were conducted by China Classification Society late last year before class status was revoked early this year for unspecified reasons.Reports suggest it’s now seeking certification from Dakar Class—a body not recognized by Indian authorities.

The West has placed sanctions on the andaman Skies,with both UK and EU listing it as part of their restrictions against Russia; however,neither the U.S. nor UN has taken similar action yet—creating a bit of a loophole for operations like India’s imports which only adhere to UN guidelines regarding sanctioned vessels.

A striking statistic reveals that approximately 35% of India’s total crude oil imports came from Russia just last year.