Russia has imported a maritime shipment of approximately 30,000 metric tons of AI-92 gasoline loaded at the Port of Tangier as part of efforts to address a growing fuel shortage following the disruption of several oil refineries caused by repeated Ukrainian drone attacks.
According to Reuters, citing two energy sector sources, a Panama-flagged tanker departed the Port of Tangier in mid-July for the Russian port of Murmansk, where the fuel cargo has begun to be unloaded. The shipment was supplied by the Russian energy company Lukoil.
Data from the St. Petersburg International Mercantile Exchange indicate that AI-92 gasoline is now being distributed by rail from the Kola station connected to the Port of Murmansk, suggesting that the imported fuel has entered the Russian domestic market.
The available information does not specify the original source of the gasoline before it was loaded in Tangier. Therefore, it cannot be concluded that the fuel was produced or refined in Morocco, despite the shipment departing from a Moroccan port.
The shipment comes as Russia seeks to stabilize its domestic fuel market by increasing imports after reduced refinery output led to tighter supplies during the peak summer demand period.