Russia Turns to Morocco for Fuel as 96,000 Tonnes of Gasoline Arrive
Russia received 96,000 tonnes of gasoline loaded in Tangier in September, up from 39,000 in July. A report published this Friday, October 16, ranks Morocco as the second-largest country of origin for fuel shipments to Russian ports, behind Turkey.
Russia, one of the world’s largest oil producers, is now sourcing a significant share of its seaborne fuel imports from Tangier. In September, three tankers carried 96,000 tonnes of gasoline from the Moroccan port to Russia. These shipments alone accounted for 41% of the petroleum products imported by Moscow by sea that month, according to a report by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) published this Friday, October 16.
On Bladi.net : Running short of gasoline, Russia turns to Morocco for supplies
The increase has been dramatic. In July, shipments from Morocco totaled 39,000 tonnes. They rose to 70,000 tonnes in August, then to 96,000 tonnes in September. In two months, volumes jumped by 146%, nearly two and a half times the initial amount. The rise comes as Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries disrupt domestic fuel supplies.
Maritime tracking data from Kpler, analyzed by CREA, trace the three September shipments. All carried gasoline loaded at the Horizon terminal in Tanger Med. They were unloaded at the Russian ports of Saint Petersburg, on the Baltic Sea, and Murmansk, in the Arctic. Two major Russian energy groups, Gazprom and Surgutneftegas, are among the identified buyers.
Tangier becomes Russia’s second-largest seaborne fuel supply hub
Only Turkey now ranks ahead of Morocco. In September, four shipments from the Turkish port of Mersin delivered 130,000 tonnes of petroleum products to Russia, including three cargoes of gasoline and one of diesel. They accounted for 55% of Russia’s seaborne imports, compared with 41% for shipments loaded in Tangier.
In total, Moscow received 234,000 tonnes of petroleum products by ship in September. That was 44% below the record 416,000 tonnes recorded in August, but remained the second-highest monthly volume since CREA began tracking the figures in January 2022. Until last June, these imports averaged just 9,000 tonnes a month.
Tangier’s growing role is partly explained by its storage and transshipment infrastructure. An earlier analysis by Windward had already traced the route taken by European fuels through Tanger Med before they are re-exported to Russia. Gasoline shipped from Morocco may therefore come from foreign refineries. The new data identify the ports of loading and destination, but not the facilities where the fuel was produced.
On Bladi.net : Tanger Med Sends Fuel to Russia as Russian Diesel Continues to Reach Morocco
The increase in shipments from Tangier also coincides with a decline in supplies from other countries. In September, Russia received no seaborne shipments of petroleum products from India, which had delivered 160,000 tonnes in August. Arrivals from South Korea plunged from 95,000 tonnes to just 8,000.
The CREA report, also cited by Kyiv Post, notes that South Korean shipments fell sharply after exporters were threatened with legal action. As of October 13, no new deliveries from South Korea had been recorded, while a 40,000-tonne shipment from India had arrived in Russia at the beginning of the month.
