Indian port authorities have blocked the entry of an oil tanker, Andaman Skies, which was carrying Russian crude for Indian Oil Corporation, due to incomplete documentation. The ship, flagged under Honduras and built in 2004, had picked up around 767,000 barrels of crude from Murmansk on February 24. It was supposed to offload its cargo at the Vadinar port on March 30 but has now been left stranded in the Arabian Sea, just off the coast of Oman and India.
This situation highlights the growing challenges of India’s oil trade with Russia, which has ramped up significantly since 2022. Western sanctions—especially from the US, UK, and the European Union—have made transactions involving Russian crude more complicated, resulting in stricter scrutiny of vessels. The Andaman Skies had already been sanctioned by the UK, though it wasn’t listed in the US sanctions announced in January.
The tanker is owned by Durbeen Navigation Ltd., but the company has yet to respond to inquiries regarding the issue. Meanwhile, the vessel remains fully loaded, awaiting further developments.