India and Taiwan were leading buyers of Russian naphtha in June, LSEG data shows

Economic Times

29-07-2025

Synopsis
In June, India and Taiwan emerged as the primary destinations for Russian seaborne naphtha exports, driven by competitive pricing and robust domestic demand. India's imports reached 250,000 tons, while Taiwan doubled its intake to 234,000 tons. Due to Red sea crisis, shipments are being rerouted via Southern Africa, impacting delivery times and costs.
Agencies India and Taiwan were the leading destinations for Russian seaborne naphtha exports in June, as cheaper volumes and domestic demand attracted buyers, according to traders and LSEG data. Naphtha is a primary feedstock in the petrochemical industry for producing olefins and aromatics, which are then used to manufacture a wide array of products, including plastics, synthetic resins, synthetic fibers, and various other chemicals. Since the European Union's full embargo on Russian oil products went into effect in February 2023, countries in the Middle East and Asia have become the main destinations for Russia's naphtha supplies. Naphtha export shipments from Russian ports to India in June totalled 250,000 metric tons, down 5% from May, and exceeded 1.4 million tons in the first half of 2025. Russian naphtha arrived at the western Indian ports of Mundra, Hazira, and Sikka, shipping data showed.
India partially replaced naphtha purchases from the United Arab Emirates with cheaper Russian supplies in order to reduce import costs. Naphtha exports from Russian ports to Taiwan reached 234,000 tons last month, double their May level, and totalled 1.27 million tons between January and June, according to LSEG data. Singapore, Malaysia, Turkey and China were among the other top destinations for Russian naphtha export supplies in June. Ship-tracking data showed that no cargoes from Russian ports arrived in Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates in June. Russia had supplied 80,000 tons to the UAE in May. Vessels carrying nearly 300,000 tons of Russian naphtha loaded last month are heading to Asia via Southern Africa's Cape of Good Hope. Asia received 150,000 tons in May. Traders have been diverting Russian oil products cargoes around Africa since December 2023 to avoid the Red Sea due to a heightened risk of attacks by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi group. All the shipping data above are based on the date of cargo departure.