A Russian oil tanker under sanctions is closing in on India’s Mundra port, run by Adani Group. The ship, named Spartan, is carrying about one million barrels of Urals crude. Tracking data from Bloomberg, Kpler, and Vortexa shows it hovering near an offshore unloading site that supplies HPCL-Mittal Energy Ltd.
The Spartan was blacklisted last year by the EU and the UK for allegedly helping Moscow move oil out of Russia.
New Ban Kicks In
Adani has just barred vessels sanctioned by the US, EU, or UK from docking at Mundra. The order took effect on September 11, but ships already en route are allowed to finish their voyages. That’s why the Spartan may be among the last sanctioned tankers to unload at the facility.
Global Pressure on India
India’s imports of Russian crude are facing heat from Washington. President Donald Trump has already slapped tariffs on New Delhi over the trade and is pushing G7 allies to go further, possibly raising levies on Indian and Chinese oil imports from Russia to as much as 100%.
Between January and August, Mundra alone received about 180,000 barrels of Russian crude a day, against nationwide inflows of 1.6 million barrels per day. Much of the Mundra oil goes to Indian Oil Corp. and HMEL refineries.
Who Owns the Tanker?
Equasis records show Spartan is owned by Citrine Marine SPC and managed by Nova Shipmanagement LLC-FZ. No direct contact details were available for either.
Adani Under the Scanner
This isn’t the only US spotlight on Adani. The Justice Department is also probing whether an Adani-linked entity imported Iranian LPG, which could amount to a sanctions breach.
