India has been refusing to allow a sanctioned Russian tanker to enter its port for a week

A Russian tanker under sanctions with 1 million barrels of crude oil has been waiting for permission to enter a port in India for a week.

The Panamanian-flagged tanker Cordelia Moon was supposed to unload oil in the western Indian port of Vadinar, Gospodarka Morska reports.

Due to India’s refusal to accept the tanker, the Cordelia Moon has been at anchor for a week.

Recall that the “Cordelia Moon” is transporting 1 million barrels of oil from Russia’s Surgutneftegaz, against which sanctions have been imposed by the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).

India, the second largest importer of crude oil from Russia, has decided not to accept sanctioned cargoes or vessels if they were loaded after January 10, 2025.

Representatives of the Indian refinery also told the agency that they have informed Russian oil suppliers and traders that the product they sell must comply with the parameters of US sanctions.

“We don’t want to take any chances. We won’t touch any cargo that is related to a sanctioned organization or vessels,” one of them said.

Meanwhile, despite India’s stance, four more tankers carrying Russian crude are approaching Vadinar, where the refinery is located.

The Cordelia Moon has had a rough year in recent years. In addition to being added to the sanctions list, the vessel was hit by a Yemeni Houthi drone in October 2024.

Also in December, the “Cordelia Moon” broke down on its way from Yalova, Turkey, to Russia. At that time, traffic in both directions through the Bosphorus was temporarily suspended due to its malfunction.