Turkey and Brazil top buyers of Russian diesel, LSEG data shows

MOSCOW, Jan 13 (Reuters): Turkey and Brazil remained the main importers of Russian seaborne diesel and gasoil last year amid the European Union's ban on imports of Russian refined products, data from market sources and LSEG showed.
Before the full EU embargo came into effect in February 2023, Europe was Russia's biggest buyer.
According to LSEG data, diesel and gasoil export supplies from the Russian ports to Turkey last year increased by a quarter from 2023 to 16.8 million metric tons.
Russian diesel exports to Brazil rose to 7.4 million tons in 2024, up by 15 per cent from the previous year, shipping data showed.
Diesel and gasoil exports from the Russian ports to African countries exceeded 9.6 million tons lat year, but were down by 6 per cent from 2023.
Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Ghana and Senegal were among the top importers, according to LSEG data.
In December 2024, Russian diesel and gasoil export loadings increased almost by 18 per cent from the previous month to 3.4 million tons on rising fuel production and seasonal slow demand in the domestic market, traders and shipping data showed.
Turkey and Brazil remain the main importers, totalling 1.2 million tons (-10 per cent from November) and 0.53 million tons (+32 per cent from November), respectively.
Meanwhile, traders report the increasing diesel volumes shipped via ship-to-ship (STS) transfers near the Italian port of Augusta and the Greek islands.
STS loadings have also become more attractive since recent Western sanctions on the tanker fleet, traders said.