Russia's seaborne diesel and gasoil exports rose eight per cent to around 3.25 million tonnes in April from March, down only slightly from 3.3 million tonnes in the same month a year ago, data from market sources and LSEG showed.
The rise in exports came despite repeated Ukrainian drone attacks on key ports and refineries as well as weather disruptions, as traders rushed to capitalise on surging global demand and price spikes driven by the Iran war.
The Baltic port of Primorsk suffered attacks in late March and early April. The port of Tuapse on the Black Sea was also hit, and the nearby Tuapse refinery owned by Rosneft halted operations following a Ukrainian drone attack on April 16.
Ultra-low-sulphur diesel shipments from Primorsk, Russia's biggest outlet for diesel exports, dropped last month to 1.4 million tonnes, down over 17 per cent from March, the sources said.
Among the diesel export destinations, Turkey and Brazil remained dominant buyers, with deliveries to Turkey surging by more than a third to 1.23 million tonnes in April, shipping data showed.
Meanwhile, tankers carrying a combined 340,000 tonnes of diesel have yet to declare their discharge ports. Of these, vessels loaded with nearly 240,000 tonnes are drifting awaiting instructions, LSEG data showed.
Another group of vessels carrying about 500,000 tonnes of Russian diesel is heading to anchorages near Port Said in Egypt and Limassol in Cyprus for ship-to-ship transfers. The final destinations of these cargoes remain unclear.
Ship-to-ship activity has increased since January amid tightening Western sanctions and declining tanker availability, market sources said.
Morocco, Ghana and Syria were among other key importers of Russian diesel cargoes in April, according to shipping data.
(Reporting by Reuters in Moscow Editing by Joe Bavier)
