**India Surpasses China as the Top Importer of Russian Oil in July**
*Indian Shipments Reach 2.07 Million Barrels Per Day*
A comparison of import data revealed that India surpassed China to become the largest importer of Russian oil in July, as Chinese refineries reduced their purchases due to declining fuel production margins.
Data from Indian shipping sources within the trade and oil sectors indicated that Russian crude accounted for an unprecedented 44% of India’s total imports last month. It rose to a record high of 2.07 million barrels per day, marking a 4.2% increase from June and a 12% increase from the level more than a year ago.
This surpasses China’s imports of Russian oil in July, which, according to Chinese customs data, averaged 1.76 million barrels per day through pipelines and other shipping routes.
Indian refineries have been purchasing large quantities of discounted Russian oil since Western countries imposed sanctions on Moscow and reduced their energy purchases from Russia in response to its invasion of Ukraine.
Iraq remained India’s second-largest oil supplier last month, followed by Saudi Arabia and then the UAE. Data showed that India’s crude oil imports from the Middle East increased by 4% in July, raising the region’s share of India’s total oil imports to 40%, up from 38% in June.
By/radwa sherif ✏️✏️📚