The suspension has forced Nayara—majority-owned by Russian entities, including oil giant Rosneft—to rely entirely on Russian crude imports through August, according to LSEG and Kpler shipping data.
Nayara typically sources around 2 million barrels of Iraqi crude and 1 million barrels of Saudi crude monthly, but received none from either supplier in August, the data showed.
SOMO and Nayara did not respond to requests for comment. Saudi Aramco declined to comment. Two sources said the EU sanctions had triggered payment difficulties in Nayara’s deals with SOMO, without elaborating.
The last SOMO cargo—a Basra crude shipment aboard the VLCC Kalliopi—was discharged at Nayara’s Vadinar port on July 29. The refiner’s final Saudi delivery was 1 million barrels of Arab Light on July 18 aboard the Georgios, co-loaded with 1 million barrels of Basrah Heavy, the data showed.
Nayara has since leaned on direct supplies from Rosneft, according to an official from the Russian Embassy in New Delhi. But the company has been operating its 400,000 barrels-per-day Vadinar refinery at only 70–80% capacity amid difficulties marketing refined products under sanctions, sources said.
With roughly 8% of India’s 5.2 million barrels-per-day refining capacity, Nayara has also struggled with fuel transportation, increasingly relying on “dark fleet” tankers after mainstream shippers pulled back.
Adding to the turbulence, Nayara’s CEO resigned in July. Last week, the company named a senior executive from Azerbaijan’s SOCAR as its new chief executive.