The West Is Still Buying Russian Oil, but It’s Now Harder to Track
An opaque market is forming to obscure the origin of Russia’s oil as more tankers are loaded without a precise destination

The West Is Still Buying Russian Oil, but It's Now Harder to Track

Russia ramped up oil shipments to key customers in recent weeks, defying its pariah status in world energy markets. One increasingly popular method for delivery: tankers marked "destination unknown."

Oil exports from Russian ports bound for European Union member states, which historically have been the biggest buyers of Russian crude, have risen to an average of 1.6 million barrels a day so far in April, according to TankerTrackers.com. Exports had dropped to 1.3 million a day in March following the Ukraine invasion. Similar data from Kpler, another commodities data provider, showed flows rose to 1.3 million a day in April from 1 million in mid-March.

But an opaque market is forming to obscure the origin of that oil. Unlike before Russia invaded Ukraine, oil buyers are worried about the reputational risk of trading crude that is financing a government that Western leaders accuse of war crimes.

Oil from Russian ports is increasingly being shipped with its destination unknown. In April so far, over 11.1 million barrels were loaded into tankers without a planned route, more than to any country, according to TankerTrackers.com. That is up from almost none before the invasion.

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/the-west-is-still-buying-russian-oil-but-it-s-now-harder-to-track-commodities-roundup-271650626976

The United States knows how to play the game.The game that makes it world power.

This is a cheap propaganda on the side of Russia.The US cannot buy oil from russia after puting an embargo on it.