India emerges as key diesel supplier to Europe as Russian flows falter

Indian refiners are increasingly supplying Europe-bound diesel shipments as Russian exports falter and U.S. flows weaken, according to energy intelligence firm Vortexa. In August, Indian companies accounted for around 60% of diesel and gasoil volumes transiting the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait toward Europe, with roughly 200,000 barrels per day of diesel moving through the waterway on European-bound vessels—near year-ago levels after traffic nearly stalled in March and April. Vortexa attributes India’s rise to large refining capacity and exportable surplus: India has 258.1 million tonnes per year of installed capacity and exported 61.5 million tonnes of petroleum products in 2025-26. However, crude and condensate imports fell for a second straight month in August to about 3.8 million bpd, raising questions about how sustainable the role will be as supplies tighten.