Russia has received its first seaborne shipment of AI-92 gasoline from Morocco as it seeks to ease fuel shortages caused by Ukrainian drone attacks on oil refineries. The information was reported by Reuters, citing two informed sources.
According to the agency, a Panama-flagged tanker delivered around 30,000 metric tons of gasoline to Russia. The vessel loaded the fuel at the Moroccan port of Tangier in mid-July and is currently unloading it at the Russian Arctic port of Murmansk.
The sources said the shipment was supplied by Lukoil. Data from the St. Petersburg International Mercantile Exchange (SPIMEX) also show that AI-92 gasoline is now being offered for rail delivery from the Kola station, which serves the Port of Murmansk.
Lukoil did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Following repeated Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian oil refineries, Moscow introduced a series of measures to stabilize the domestic fuel market. These include rail imports of gasoline from Belarus and Kazakhstan, as well as a ban on fuel exports.
In mid-July, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak announced that the country would begin importing petroleum products to stabilize domestic supplies, as refinery shutdowns and rising demand had created fuel shortages.
Reuters had previously reported that Russia had also started importing gasoline by sea from India.
At the beginning of July, Russian gasoline production fell to around 65% of average summer domestic consumption after major refineries were forced to suspend operations following an increasing number of drone attacks.
The production decline prompted Russian authorities to introduce restrictions on gasoline sales in several regions of the country.
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