Russia plans to cut daily diesel exports from key western ports in April to the lowest level in five months after Ukrainian drones attacked oil refineries and seasonal maintenance sharply reduced the rate of crude oil processing. This is reported by Bloomberg, according to UNN.
Details
The publication notes that, according to industry data, diesel fuel loading from the country's three main ports on the Black and Baltic Seas, including some volumes coming from Belarus, will drop to about 2.29 million tons this month.
This is slightly more than 569 thousand barrels per day, which is 21% less than the actual daily exports of about 724 thousand barrels from the same ports in March, according to calculations based on data from the intelligence company Kpler.
russia is cutting back on diesel supplies by sea after weekly crude refining rates fell to a 10-month low following Ukrainian drone attacks, as the Russian-led war between the two countries entered its third year. Seasonal maintenance due to continue through the summer, temporarily reducing the throughput of some Russian refineries below, is also putting pressure on national diesel flows,
Due to Western energy sanctions, Russia no longer supplies diesel to Europe. However, smaller flows from one of the world's largest fuel producers are likely to increase volatility in a market that has already suffered from attacks on shipping in the Red Sea and regional refinery failures.
Addendum
The April export plan for diesel fuel seen by Bloomberg only shows flows delivered by pipeline to three key domestic ports. It does not include smaller volumes exported by rail and outside the Transneft pipeline system. Actual flows may vary depending on weather and demand from foreign customers.
Recall
The recent successful attacks by Ukrainian drones on oil refineries, which were not countered by the Russian Federation, are a cause for serious concern for the Kremlin authorities, as they show the inability of the Russian armed forces to counter these threats.