Indian refiners have secured sufficient crude supplies to sustain operations through at least August, as energy flows from West Africa surge to compensate for disruptions to traditional supply routes in the Middle East. State-run Hindustan Petroleum Corporation (HPCL) purchased two million barrels from West Africa and Brazil last week for its 180,000-barrel-per-day Rajasthan refinery, while Indian Oil Corporation and Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals have also acquired spot cargoes from the same region in recent weeks.
African crude volumes flowing to India have risen sharply since early in the year. Data from tracking firm Kpler shows that India’s imports of Angolan crude averaged 327,000 barrels per day in March — nearly three times the volume recorded in February — while Nigerian crude purchases also climbed steadily through April as Middle Eastern supply contracted.
India, the world’s third-largest crude oil importer, has been actively diversifying its supply sources in response to supply chain disruptions. The country signed an energy cooperation agreement with Venezuela earlier this month as part of this broader strategy. The United States has also stepped up to become India’s top supplier of both liquefied natural gas and liquefied petroleum gas in May, shipping 900,000 tonnes of LNG — accounting for more than 40 percent of India’s total requirement — alongside 630,000 tonnes of LPG.
The shift underscores the growing commercial importance of West African producers, particularly Angola and Nigeria, as swing suppliers capable of meeting large-scale demand at short notice. For the continent’s oil-exporting nations, the sustained uptick in Indian buying represents a significant market development with potential long-term implications for supply partnerships.
Source: prospect-intel.com