A ship carrying Russian oil destined for Indian Oil Corp, a state-run company, was refused entry to an Indian port due to inadequate documentation regarding its seaworthiness. The vessel, named Andaman Skies and flagged from Honduras, was loaded with 767,000 barrels of crude oil in Murmansk on February 24 and was scheduled to arrive at Vadinar on March 30. Indian regulations dictate that tankers over 20 years old must possess a seaworthiness certificate issued by an approved organization, which in this case was not met, as the certification came from Dakar Class, a consultancy not acknowledged by Indian authorities. The ship is currently located in the Arabian Sea, fully laden, between Oman and India, and appears to be stationary based on ship-tracking data. The ship's registered owner, Durbeen Navigation Ltd., has not responded to requests for comment.

Last year, the vessel was permitted entry into an Indian port as it had not yet reached the 20-year service threshold. India is a critical market for Russian oil shipments by sea, especially after the conflict between Russia and Ukraine in 2022, leading to heightened scrutiny of incoming vessels. Despite being targeted by British authorities, the Andaman Skies has not been implicated in the US sanctions against oil-carrying ships. The incident was first reported by Reuters.