India’s Largest Terminal Operator Bans Sanctioned Vessels

Adani Group, which is India’s largest private terminal and port operator, has sent out a circular to all operators advising that it is banning all sanctioned vessels from all its operations, according to reports in the Indian media. They are confirming the earlier story from Reuters, which said it had seen a memorandum, but also noted that Adani has taken similar actions in the past.

The move comes as India is under strong pressure from the United States to curtail its purchases of Russian oil. Last month, Donald Trump doubled the tariffs on India, citing its purchases of Russian oil, while reports this week indicated the U.S. is pressing Europe and the G7 countries for a 100 percent tariff on India. It was the latest of several actions by the U.S. targeting India and came just weeks after Trump met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Analysts highlighted that the escalating trade war and pressure on India were pushing India toward China and Russia and away from the United States. Modi was a prominent guest at China’s conference with Russia and the military parade to mark the anniversary of the end of World War II. On Tuesday, the tensions seemed to de-escalate as Trump took to social media, saying the trade talks were resuming. He said the U.S. was confident a new deal would be reached with India.

India has remained a key buyer of Russian oil alongside China. The sanctioning of a refinery with Russian investment seemed to briefly interrupt the trade, but despite various efforts, it has persisted. Earlier this year, there were reports that Indian refineries had begun turning away sanctioned tankers transporting Russian oil.

Adani, according to the reports in the Indian media, writes in the new circular that all its ports will abide by the sanctions imposed by the European Union, the United States, and the United Kingdom. All the listed ships, it says, will be prevented from calling at its ports.

Adani Ports’ operations account for nearly one-fourth of the cargo movement in India. It has operations in 13 Indian ports in seven states. The company just this week highlighted that its Hazira Liquid Terminal, located on the northwest coast north of Mumbai, had achieved the second-highest-ever bulk liquid volume. It reported handling 507,276 metric tonnes (0.51 million tonnes) in August 2025. It said that 71 liquid tankers had been handled during the month and that the volume surpassed the previous record of 0.49 million tonnes set in October 2021.