Moscow: Turkey and Brazil last year became the biggest importers of Russian seaborne diesel and gasoil after European Union sanctions barring the import of Russian refined products took effect, data from market sources and LSEG showed.
Before the full EU embargo was implemented in February 2023, Europe was Russia’s biggest buyer.
Traders have since diverted diesel cargoes from Russian ports to Brazil, Turkey, countries in Africa, Asia, Middle East and ship-to-ship (STS) loadings.
According to the LSEG data, Russia last year exported about 13.5 million metric tons of diesel and gasoil to Turkey, up from 5 million tons in 2022. It was unclear how much of this stayed in Turkey as opposed to being shipped onwards to other destinations.
