Data shows that Indonesia imported Russian Sakhalin crude oil in December and January.

Ship tracking data revealed on Tuesday that Indonesia imported two cargoes in December and in January of Russian oil. These purchases were rare for the Southeast Asian nation and could be a sign of Russian oil sellers looking to expand their market in response to pressure from other buyers.

The Kpler & Vortexa imports came as a result of a decline in demand for Russian crude oil from India. India is one of the largest buyers of Russian oil.

The U.S. president Donald Trump announced Monday that India agreed to stop purchasing Russian oil as part of an agreement with the United States. However, the Kremlin said they had not heard any statements from India regarding the decision to cease buying Russian?oil.

Indonesia, which relies heavily on Middle East crude and African crude to meet its needs, has not joined the western sanctions against Russia.

Emma Li, Vortexa's analyst, said that "one standard cargo" was taken each month in December and January. She was referring to Sakhalin oil.

Last time Kpler data showed Indonesia importing Urals crude oil was in June 2023, when it imported?one hundred thousand barrels to Cilacap Refinery.

Kpler data shows that Indonesia has never imported Sakhalin before.

PERTAMINA DENIES IMPORTING RUSSIAN RUDE

Data showed that on December 25, a tanker named GT Honor discharged 700,000 barrels Sakhalin Blend from the port of Balikpapan, Indonesia. The tanker had previously conducted a ship to ship (STS), transferring with another vessel called Galaxy, near Hong Kong.

Data also revealed that another tanker, Integrity Racer discharged a cargo of Sakhalin crude oil in the port of Cilacap, near Hong Kong, after completing an STS transfer.

Pertamina is the state oil company that operates refineries in both ports. A spokesperson confirmed the GT Honor discharged from Balikpapan, but denied the ship 'carried Sakhalin Oil and refused to specify the source of the oil.

The spokesperson didn't answer a question regarding Integrity Racer but did say that the company had not imported any Russian crude oil.

Ship-to-ship transfers, redocumentation and other methods are used to mask the origins of oil shipments from sanctioned producers.

Kpler data revealed that Galaxy and Voyager - both sanctioned projects by the U.S.A. and the European Union - regularly sent?crude oil from the Sakhalin 2 Project to waters near Hong Kong.

Data shows that the EU-sanctioned GT Honor is shipping Russian crude and product since late 2023.

Kpler data revealed that the Integrity Racer began shipping Russian crude oil in September. Reporting by Siyi Liu and Bernadette Cristina in Singapore; editing by Tony Munroe, David Holmes and David Holmes

(source: Reuters)