Russia plans to import fuel by sea this month in an attempt to overcome a gasoline shortage following large-scale drone attacks on its oil refineries. This was reported by Reuters, citing four industry sources, according to UNN.
Details
According to the interlocutors, Russia, one of the world's largest exporters of oil and petroleum products, expects to receive a shipment of gasoline through one of its western ports in June for the first time in a long while.
The fuel will be delivered from Asia; however, the sources did not specify the volumes or the suppliers.
It is noted that last year Russia had already considered the possibility of importing fuel by sea, but at that time domestic reserves were sufficient.
This year the situation has changed due to months of Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian oil refineries, pipelines, and fuel storage facilities, aimed at limiting Moscow's ability to finance the war.
Among the recent attacks are strikes on the TANECO refinery and the Moscow refinery, which caused processing to be suspended at both facilities.
Fuel shortage and export ban
According to data collected by Reuters, fuel shortages have been recorded in about a dozen regions of Russia. The shortage was officially confirmed by occupied Crimea and two regions of Siberia.
The Russian government introduced a ban on gasoline exports for producers until the end of July to maximize supply to the domestic market during the peak summer demand period.
Moscow was also forced to import fuel from Belarus and had previously turned to Kazakhstan. At the same time, according to sources, neither of these countries has sufficient excess capacity to cover a deeper supply crisis.
One of the interlocutors noted that maritime imports might only be a temporary solution and will not provide significant volumes due to logistical difficulties and high costs.
The Russian Ministry of Energy did not respond to a request for comment.
According to industry source estimates, last year Russia exported about 5 million tons of gasoline, or approximately 117,000 barrels per day.