Saudi Arabia and India were the main buyers of Russian seaborne deliveries of fuel oil and vacuum gas oil (VGO) in July, LSEG data showed, cited by "Reuters".
After the European Union imposed a full embargo on Russian petroleum products, the Middle East and Asia have become key markets for Russian exports in this segment.
Direct deliveries from Russian ports to Saudi Arabia reached about 1.1 million tons in July - almost unchanged from June. Most of the cargo is destined for power plants, as Middle Eastern countries traditionally use crude oil and high-sulfur fuels to generate power in the June-August period, when demand for air conditioning increases sharply.
Russian exports of dark petroleum products to India rose 65% month-on-month to about 0.6 million tonnes in July. Indian refineries use fuel oil and VGO as a cheaper feedstock compared to the Russian Urals grade. However, India's total crude oil imports from Russia fell by a quarter compared to June due to lower discounts and reduced demand from some refineries.
Other leading destinations for Russian fuel oil and VGO exports in July were Singapore, Turkey and Senegal, the data showed.