Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates sharply ramped up crude supplies to India in April, leveraging alternative routes to bypass the Strait of Hormuz disruption, even as traditional suppliers dropped out and Russian imports cooled, according to Kpler data.
Saudi shipments rose about 23% month-on-month to 704,000 barrels per day (bpd) in April from 572,000 bpd in March, while the UAE recorded a sharp 191% surge to 591,000 bpd from 203,000 bpd, marking one of the steepest increases among suppliers.
The surge has been enabled by rerouting of flows. Saudi Arabia redirected shipments via its 7 million bpd East-West pipeline to the Red Sea port of Yanbu, while the UAE used its 1.7 million bpd ADCOP pipeline to Fujairah, allowing exports to continue despite disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz.
Bypassing the Chokepoint
The shift comes amid a broader realignment triggered by the West Asia conflict. Supplies from key Gulf exporters including Iraq, Kuwait and Qatar dropped to zero in April, with Iraq’s shipments declining 76% from 969,000 bpd in February to 235,000 bpd in March, before collapsing entirely.
As traditional Gulf flows weakened, new and alternative suppliers stepped in. Imports from Brazil more than doubled by over 100% to 275,000 bpd in April, while Nigeria rose nearly 77% to 221,000 bpd, reflecting aggressive diversification by Indian refiners.
Venezuela re-entered India’s crude basket with 298,000 bpd, marking a return after nearly a year, while imports from the United States fell sharply to 104,000 bpd from 164,000 bpd in March, indicating shifting trade economics.
After a seven-year gap, India also resumed purchases from Iran, importing 137,000 bpd in April following a 30-day US sanctions waiver, reviving a key supply channel that had remained shut since May 2019.
The evolving supply pattern is also being shaped by structural shifts in global oil markets. The UAE’s move to exit OPEC is expected to give it greater flexibility to increase production beyond quota constraints, potentially boosting supplies to key buyers like India and easing price pressures over the medium term.
Operational Distortions
Against this backdrop, Russian imports declined sharply. India’s Russian crude purchases fell around 21% to 1.56 million bpd in April from a record 1.98 million bpd in March, after surging over 90% from 1.04 million bpd in February during the peak of supply disruptions.
Explaining the trend, Nikhil Dubey, Senior Research Analyst at Kpler, said: “Russian crude imports into India are lower in April mainly due to maintenance at the Nayara refinery, which runs exclusively on Russian oil, as well as the impact of drone strikes on Russia’s export infrastructure in March.”
“However, going forward the overall outlook remains positive. Russia has been a reliable supplier for India, and we expect imports to stay strong in the coming months, supported by current global supply dynamics,” he added.
At the refinery level, the shift is evident. Indian Oil Corporation remained the top buyer at 677,000 bpd in April, up 14% from March, while Reliance Industries imported 235,000 bpd. Bharat Petroleum’s intake fell 38% to 176,000 bpd, reflecting reduced reliance on Russian barrels.
The sharpest decline was seen at Nayara Energy, where imports plunged over 90% to 25,000 bpd from 315,000 bpd in March, due to a 35-day maintenance shutdown, significantly impacting Russian flows.
Despite diversification, overall imports have weakened. India’s total crude imports fell about 15% from 5.20 million bpd in February to 4.46 million bpd in March, and remained subdued at 4.44 million bpd in April, indicating tighter supply and logistical constraints.
With India importing nearly 85% of its crude requirement, refiners are increasingly recalibrating sourcing strategies amid geopolitical volatility, balancing cost, availability and supply security as global oil flows continue to shift.