Russia's share in India's oil imports fell in August, while supplies from the Middle East increased as Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) sold oil from the region from outside the Strait of Hormuz, data from trade sources showed.
United Arab Emirates' state-run ADNOC has strengthened its shipping operations, shuttling oil from its fields inside the Strait of Hormuz for sale from storage and export terminals at Fujairah and Sohar.
In addition to its own crude, ADNOC is also buying oil from neighbouring producers such as Iraq for resale.
India's Russian oil imports fell 16.5 per cent in August from the previous month to about 2.1 million barrels per day (bpd), the data showed. Russia remained India's top oil supplier, followed by the UAE and Venezuela.
The world's third-biggest oil importer's purchase of Iraqi oil surged by about a quarter to about 171,000 bpd, the data showed.
Imports from the UAE fell 5.4 per cent from July to about 620,000 bpd, while those from Saudi Arabia, which offered crude oil from ports outside the strait, rose 1.5 per cent to 328,000 bpd.
India boosted purchases of Russian oil after US-Iran tensions led to a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
However, India's Russian oil imports are estimated to decline to 1.9 million bpd in September, according to preliminary data from Kpler.
Indian refiners are tapping spot markets for October and November supplies as they fear they may have to reduce purchases from Moscow to protect India's wider economic interests if US President Donald Trump decides to impose up to a 100 per cent tariff on countries buying Russian oil.
New Delhi, which is negotiating a trade deal with Washington, has said it remains "firmly committed" to ensuring energy security for its people and would continue to source supplies from diverse sellers based on market dynamics.
Overall, India's oil imports fell 8.8 per cent in August to 4.44 million bpd, the data showed.
(Reporting by Nidhi Verma; Editing by Andrea Ricci)
