Indian authorities have denied entry to a local port to a tanker carrying Russian crude oil for state-owned Indian Oil Corp. due to a lack of proper documentation of its seaworthiness.
Points of attention
- Indian authorities rejected entry of a tanker carrying Russian crude oil due to lack of proper seaworthiness documentation, causing a conflict with shipping regulations.
- The tanker Andaman Skies, loaded with 767,000 barrels of oil, was denied entry at the port of Vadinar because it lacked necessary certificates and was over 20 years old.
- Indian regulations require tankers over 20 years old to have seaworthiness certificates from recognized international associations, leading to the denial of entry for this vessel.
India banned the reception of a tanker with Russian oil
This is reported by Bloomberg, citing people familiar with the matter.
According to analysts from Kpler, the Honduran-flagged tanker Andaman Skies, which was built in 2004, loaded 767,000 barrels of oil at the port in Murmansk, Russia, on February 24 and was due to unload on March 30 at the port of Vadinar.
Interlocutors point out that Indian regulations require tankers over 20 years old to have a seaworthiness certificate issued by a member of the International Association of Classification Societies or an organization authorized by the local regulator.
The vessel was certified by a local consultancy company, Dakar Class, which is not recognized by Indian authorities.
The tanker is currently in the Arabian Sea between Oman and India, still fully loaded, and appears to have stopped moving.
According to sources, the ship was allowed to enter an Indian port last year because it had not been in service for 20 years at that time.
