Indian Oil Corp (IOC) is seeking high-sulphur oil from the spot market in its first sour crude import tender since March 2022, expecting the latest U.S. sanctions to hit supplies from Moscow, trade sources said on Thursday.

Indian Oil Corp has purchased 7 million barrels of Middle Eastern and African crude oil, including Abu Dhabi's Murban, amid U.S. sanctions on Russian oil.

It is India's first tender for sour crude imports since March 2022. IOC and other Indian refiners have significantly increased purchases of Russian oil over the past two years, taking advantage of discounted prices after the West imposed sanctions on Moscow over its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Chinese and Indian refiners will source more oil from the Middle East, Africa and the Americas, boosting prices and freight costs.

India's top refiner, Indian Oil Corp (IOC), has purchased 7 million barrels of Middle Eastern and African crude oil via tenders, including a rare buy of Abu Dhabi's Murban, as U.S. sanctions impact supplies from Russia.