Oil shipments to India face delivery hurdles on Mideast snarls

Oil shipments to India have been disrupted by a resurgence of fighting in the Middle East, with at least two refiners forced to arrange more costly, alternative cargoes after planned deliveries didn’t arrive on time.

State-run Bharat Petroleum Corp. had four Persian Gulf cargoes that weren’t delivered on schedule in August, according to people familiar with the matter, who asked not be named discussing commercial matters. Separately, Indian Oil Corp. has also seen its delivery schedules getting changed, they said.

The sudden disruptions have forced local refiners to seek other crude supplies at short notice, which contributed to a recent flurry of purchase tenders and cargo solicitations, according to separate people familiar with the trades, who asked not be named due to the sensitivity of the matter.


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India is the world’s third-biggest oil consumer, and the cargo snarls highlight how the war in the Middle East between Iran and the US continues to vex processors and boost costs. At the same time, refiners in the South Asian nation are facing an additional challenge as oil flows from Russia — a mainstay supplier — have also come under pressure because of Ukrainian attacks.

While India is a relatively short shipping distance from the Middle East, it typically relies on cargoes sent through the Strait of Hormuz, the chokepoint that links the Persian Gulf to global markets. Washington and Tehran remain in dispute over the waterway, with elevated risks to shipping.

For BPCL, the quartet of missed cargoes comprised two from the United Arab Emirates, one from Saudi Arabia and a fourth from Kuwait, with the Kuwaiti shipment supplied by a trader, the first set of people said. Still, after the recent scramble, the refiners are now comfortable with orders through to October, with many now largely arranging November deliveries, they said.

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Refiners typically plan purchases several weeks or months in advance in order to try to optimize freight, crude grades and refinery runs. When a scheduled cargo slips into a later so-called delivery window, buyers typically have to pay up for replacement barrels that can reach their plants quickly.

Given the Russian-Ukraine war — with Kyiv launching repeated strikes against its foe’s energy infrastructure — Moscow’s barrels have become more expensive. Urals, which ships from the nation’s western ports, is now priced at a premium of about $2 a barrel, compared with a discount a few weeks ago.

BPCL and IOC didn’t immediately respond to separate requests for comment.