After a White House order, a Russian oil tanker was forced to change course, and Europe and the US are worried that China might step in to rescue!
Recently, a tanker named Furia suddenly changed its course in the Baltic Sea. The tanker set sail from the Russian port of Primorsky on October 20, carrying about 730,000 barrels of crude oil, originally planned to head to the Sikkim Port in Gujarat, India.
In a statement, Bessen stated clearly that the sanctions targeted mainly two of Russia's largest oil companies, which had not been sanctioned for various reasons previously.
These two companies are crucial to Russia's revenue, with their combined crude oil exports accounting for nearly 50% of Russia's total crude oil exports.
Bessen bluntly pointed out that the sanctions were because these two oil companies provided large amounts of funds to the Russian military. Upon the issuance of the U.S. sanctions, Indian buyers immediately reacted. Reliance Group, the largest Russian oil buyer in India, immediately announced "a suspension of imports of Russian crude oil."
This decision directly led to the Furia tanker turning back during its voyage.
The sensitive reaction of Indian refiners to the sanctions was no coincidence. The U.S. has left some buffer time for India and the EU, setting November 21 as the deadline. According to Vortexa data, the average daily export volume of Russian maritime petroleum products this month for the first 26 days was only 1.89 million barrels, the lowest level since early 2022 at least.
Russia had successfully shifted its energy exports toward Asia to compensate for the loss of the European market. However, now, this single order from the White House has cast a shadow over Russia's oil exports to Asia. Most importantly, India dares not offend the White House, and whether Russia's oil lifeline can survive depends on whether China will step in to rescue it.
Original article: www.toutiao.com/article/1847464867070026/
Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.