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Saudi Arabia remained in July the main destination for fuel oil and vacuum gas oil (VGO) cargoes transported by sea from Russian ports, amidst strong summer demand for air conditioning.
However, shipments fell by 18% compared to June, totaling 1.1 million metric tons, according to operator and LSEG data.
The Saudi state has intensified purchases of discounted Russian fuel oil for its power sector instead of using valuable crude that would otherwise be burned to generate electricity.
Since the European Union's full embargo on Russian oil products came into effect in February 2023, the Middle East and Asia have become the main destinations for Russia's fuel oil and VGO.
Meanwhile, Russian fuel exports to Singapore and Malaysia, important storage and marine fuel (bunkering) hubs, increased 2.5 times month-on-month in July, reaching about 0.47 million tons, LSEG data showed.
Last month, no shipments of fuel oil or VGO from Russian ports to India were recorded, following the 150,000 tons sent in June, although oil tankers with about 230,000 tons of dark oil products on board are positioned near the Suez Canal and their final destination is still unclear.
In 2025, India was one of the main importers of Russian fuel oil and VGO for its refineries as a cheaper alternative to Urals crude; however, sanctions imposed last year by the U.S. Treasury Department on Russia's major oil companies, Rosneft and Lukoil, forced buyers to step back from fuel purchases.
Exports of dark oil products from Russian ports to Turkey fell by 21% in July compared to the previous month, totaling 150,000 tons.
In total, seaborne export shipments of Russian fuel oil and VGO fell by 12% month-on-month in July to 2.4 million tons, as Ukrainian drone attacks caused disruptions in refineries and lower production of petroleum derivatives.
