Published by Global Banking and Finance Review
Posted on October 9, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 21, 2026
In August 2023, Taiwan and India led Russian naphtha imports, influenced by the EU embargo. Exports to Taiwan doubled, while India's decreased.
MOSCOW (Reuters) -Taiwan and India were the main destinations for Russian seaborne naphtha exports in August, as cheaper barrels attracted buyers, data from market sources and LSEG showed.
Since the European Union's full embargo on Russian oil products went into effect in February 2023, countries in the Middle East and Asia have become the main destinations for Russia's naphtha supplies.
Naphtha is a primary feedstock in the petrochemical industry for producing olefins and aromatics, which are then used to manufacture a wide array of products, including plastics, synthetic resins, synthetic fibers, and various other chemicals.
Naphtha export loadings from Russian ports to Taiwan more than doubled in August month-on-month to around 370,000 metric tons and totalled 1.8 million tons in the first eight months of 2025, according to LSEG data.
Meanwhile, Taiwan's economy minister said on Wednesday that privately run refiners are willing to stop buying Russian naphtha should the EU ask them to, after a group of non-governmental organisations criticised the island's continued business with the country.
While Taiwan's state-owned firms stopped importing Russian oil in 2023, there is no such restriction on private companies so far.
Naphtha exports from Russian ports to India in August totalled 151,000 metric tons, down 28% from July after previous ample supplies, and exceeded 1.7 million tons in January-August 2025.
Russian naphtha arrived at the western Indian ports of Mundra, Hazira and Sikka, shipping data showed.
China, Singapore, Malaysia and Turkey were among the other top destinations for Russian naphtha export supplies in August.
All the shipping data above are based on the date of cargo departure.
(Reporting by Reuters in Moscow; Editing by Vijay Kishore)
Naphtha is a flammable liquid hydrocarbon mixture used as a solvent and as a feedstock in the petrochemical industry for producing olefins and aromatics.
Petrochemicals are chemical products derived from petroleum or natural gas, used to produce a wide range of products including plastics, fertilizers, and synthetic fibers.
Seaborne trade refers to the transportation of goods and commodities via sea routes, which is a crucial aspect of international trade.
Naphtha plays a significant role in the energy sector as it is used as a feedstock for producing fuels and chemicals, impacting energy supply and pricing.
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