RoydadNaft –  More than 20 oil tankers carrying Russian crude are idling off the ports of India and China, creating a maritime “traffic jam” that highlights mounting logistical challenges for Moscow’s sanctioned energy trade, according to shipping data compiled by Bloomberg.

Russia’s seaborne crude exports surged to an average of 3.87 million barrels per day in the four weeks ending December 21—up 200,000 barrels per day from the prior period and the highest level in over two and a half years. The increase was driven in part by resumed loadings from the Baltic port of Primorsk.

Yet much of that oil is going nowhere fast. Since late August 2025, the volume of Russian crude held on tankers at sea has jumped 48%, with vessels waiting weeks or even months for berth clearance at key Asian destinations.

The delays come amid a sharp drop in domestic refinery activity following Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian facilities, including the Yaroslavl refinery north of Moscow—one of the country’s top ten fuel producers with a capacity of around 300,000 barrels per day. Lower refining runs have freed up additional crude for export.

Complicating matters further, heightened U.S. enforcement actions against tankers carrying sanctioned Venezuelan oil—under President Donald Trump’s renewed blockade—appear to be spooking buyers and shippers of Russian cargoes, who fear similar scrutiny.

While Western sanctions have not halted Russia’s oil flows, they have significantly disrupted logistics. Analysts warn that India, the world’s third-largest oil importer and a major buyer of discounted Russian barrels, could see reduced arrivals next month.

Russia has relied on a sprawling “shadow fleet” of over 1,240 vessels to circumvent restrictions since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. However, some of these aging tankers have been linked to illegal oil dumping in European waters, raising fears of potential environmental catastrophes.