Russia’s seaborne oil product exports fell 1.5% in February from the previous month to 9.943 million metric tons due to unplanned maintenance at refineries, data from industry sources and Reuters calculations showed.

Several large Russian refineries were hit by drone attacks and fires in January and February, including Rosneft’s Tuapse refinery and Novatek’s NVTK.MM complex at the Baltic port of Ust-Luga.

Novatek resumed gas condensate processing at the Ust-Luga complex on Feb. 11.

Total oil product exports via the Baltic ports of Primorsk, Vysotsk, St. Petersburg and Ust-Luga last month rose 11.4% from January to 5.886 million tons, data from market sources showed.

Fuel exports via Russia’s Black Sea and Azov Sea ports fell in February by 18.8% from the previous month to 3.265 million tons, mainly because of a lack of oil product supplies from the Tuapse refinery and also due to stormy weather in region.

Oil products export supplies from Russia’s Arctic ports of Murmansk and Arkhangelsk fell last month by 34% from January to 113,900 tons.

Fuel export loadings at Russia’s Far East ports rose by 8.8% in February month-on-month to 678,100 metric tons, data from sources and Reuters calculations showed.

In March, Russia’s Ryazan oil refinery C}RO7309414471, controlled by Rosneft, was set ablaze after a drone attack. A fire also broke out after a Ukrainian drone attack at the Norsi refinery owned by Lukoil LKOH.MM, which could lead to a further decrease of oil products exports.

Russia has also imposed a six-month ban on gasoline exports from March 1 to keep domestic prices stable.

Last year, Russia announced a voluntary reduction in crude oil and fuel exports of 300,000 barrels per day (bpd) and 200,000 bpd respectively from the average for May-June 2023 to support energy markets.

Source: Reuters edited by Mark Potter