Indian Port Seizes Tanker Transporting Russian Oil

By Rakesh Sharma and Weilun Soon
Mar 28, 2025 (Bloomberg) – A tanker transporting Russian crude for Indian Oil Corp. has been turned away from a local port due to insufficient documentation regarding its seaworthiness, sources familiar with the situation revealed.

The Andaman Skies, a Honduran-flagged vessel built in 2004, loaded up with 767,000 barrels in murmansk on February 24 and was scheduled to unload at Vadinar on March 30, according to Kpler data.

Indian regulations stipulate that tankers older than two decades must possess a seaworthiness certificate from an International Association of Classification Societies member or an authorized local body. However, while the ship had certification from Dakar Class—a consultancy not recognized by Indian authorities—this did not meet the necessary requirements.

Currently anchored in the Arabian Sea between Oman and India, the Andaman Skies remains fully loaded but appears to have halted its journey based on ship-tracking information. The registered owner listed in Equasis database is durbeen Navigation Ltd., wich has yet to respond for comments regarding this issue.

Interestingly enough, this same vessel was permitted entry into an Indian port last year since it hadn’t reached the two-decade mark then.

India plays a crucial role as a destination for Russian oil shipments following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022; thus, its import activities are under close market scrutiny due to numerous sanctioned vessels operating within these waters. Notably though, while Andaman Skies hasn’t been included in U.S.-led sanctions against ships carrying Russian oil, it has faced scrutiny from British authorities.This incident highlights ongoing complexities surrounding maritime trade regulations and geopolitical tensions affecting global oil markets today.

© 2025 Bloomberg L.P.

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