The approaching Russian wrestle for brand new markets for its oil

Russia can enhance home vitality consumption and increase exports to new markets after some “unfriendly” international locations have rejected Russian oil. So says President Vladimir Putin. It sounds easy, however it’s going to be lots more durable in observe as soon as the subsequent wave of restrictions on Moscow’s oil commerce kicks in.

To this point, there was little apparent influence on the quantity of crude flowing from Russia’s export terminals. Whereas seaborne shipments drifted decrease through the first weeks after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, there was no sudden collapse. And the speed of exports surged within the first week of April, due partly to the easing of storms within the Black Sea, which had led to a backlog of ships ready to load at a key port.

What has modified, although, is the place lots of these ships are going. There was an enormous soar within the variety of cargoes heading for Asia from ports within the Black Sea, the Baltic and even, in a single case, from the Arctic port of Murmansk. Flows of crude to Asian international locations from Russia’s western ports have surged from zero within the weeks previous to the invasion to 875,000 barrels a day within the first full week of April. That’s virtually as a lot as Russia’s mixed every day shipments to Germany, France, Greece, Italy and the U.Ok. earlier than the invasion.

Whereas Russian oil firms needed to provide steep reductions of greater than $30 a barrel to promote crude into Europe, they weren’t providing the identical worth cuts to consumers in India. That’s more likely to change, although, as state-run oil refiners change to privately negotiated offers within the hunt for higher phrases, as an alternative of shopping for by public tenders.

However there’s more likely to be a restrict to how a lot India’s refiners will purchase from Russia. Elevated imports of Russian crude will displace purchases from elsewhere and consumers will possible be cautious of damaging relations with their conventional suppliers within the Center East. Which will put a cap on the quantity they’re ready to take from Russia.

There’s additionally a query of the chemical make-up of the crude. Each crude oil is totally different and refineries function most profitably after they course of a particular grade of crude, or mix of grades. Elevated volumes of Russian crude must displace crudes of comparable high quality, by way of their gravity and sulfur content material, which can additionally restrict the volumes refiners are in a position to take.

Elevated crude flows from ports in western Russia to India and China, maybe offset by increased flows of Persian Gulf crude to Europe, can also be going to place a pressure on tanker markets. The better distances concerned will tie up extra vessels for longer durations on every supply. It takes 3 times as lengthy to hold a cargo of crude from the Russian port of Novorossiysk on the Black Sea to Sikka in India because it does to ship it to Trieste in Italy.

From the Baltic, which has turn into Russia’s main outlet for westbound shipments, the rise is even larger. It takes a day or two to ship crude from Primorsk or Ust-Luga to Finland, Lithuania, or Poland, and a couple of week to ship it to the Netherlands or Germany. A voyage to the west coast of India takes a month, to the east coast, even longer. Given Russia’s pre-invasion mixture of locations for its Baltic Sea crude exports, a full diversion of flows to India would require 5 to 6 occasions as many ships as are sometimes used. The elevated demand will push up costs — excellent news for ship homeowners, however dangerous information for whoever goes to have to soak up the transport prices.

The rise is analogous for shipments from Russia’s Arctic port of Murmansk. Most cargoes make a week-long voyage to Rotterdam. One is now on a month-long journey to Paradip on the east coast of India. Extra could also be pressured to observe, because the EU begins to toughen up its stance on Russian oil imports.

The place else would possibly Russia promote its crude?

One chance is into China’s strategic stockpile, whether it is prepared to supply reductions large enough to make cargoes enticing to the nation’s price-conscious consumers. There have even been options that Center Japanese oil producers would possibly purchase low-cost Russian crude for processing of their abroad three way partnership refineries, liberating up extra of their very own barrels for export. Massive reductions might make that a beautiful proposition; the volumes may be as a lot as 200,000 barrels a day.

But when Europe is severe about weaning itself off Russian crude, Moscow goes to have to search out markets for lots greater than that. About 1.8 million barrels a day of Russian crude was shipped to European ports earlier than the invasion of Ukraine.

Utilizing extra inside Russia solely is sensible if the nation has one thing productive to do with it — that may require boosting trade, which appears unlikely.

Growing gross sales to Asian consumers, who present no aversion to purchasing Russian crude, is a superficially enticing resolution. Nevertheless it’s going to be much more pricey for Russia than promoting to high-paying European consumers on its doorstep.