On Saturday (April 4, 2026), the Indian government denied reports that claimed that a tanker loaded with Iranian crude oil—which was originally bound for India—had changed its course midway through its journey and is now headed towards China due to “payment issues”. The Petroleum Ministry said India has not faced any payment related problems in securing its crude oil imports. India imports crude oil from more than 40 countries, and companies have complete freedom to purchase oil from different sources.
**Why did the Iranian plane turn towards China?
A statement issued by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas said these reports failed to take into account the actual workings of the oil trade. “Bills of lading often list potential ports of discharge. To optimize operations, cargo ships at sea may change their destinations based on operational flexibility,” the ministry explained.
Government denied media reports
“Despite supply challenges in the Middle East, India has successfully met its crude oil requirements, including supplies from Iran. Reports citing payment issues are baseless. India’s crude oil requirements for the coming months are fully secured,” the ministry stressed. Speaking on rumors regarding LPG supply, the government said, “An LPG ship named ‘Sea Bird’, carrying approximately 44,000 metric tonnes of Iranian gas, arrived at Mangaluru port on April 2, and offloading is currently underway.”
Was the Iranian plane going to Gujarat?
Kpler, a ship tracking company, claimed that an Aframax tanker named ‘Ping Shun’ has changed its destination and is now headed towards China’s Dongying instead of Vadinar in Gujarat. Following the recent temporary waiver by the United States of America on sanctions, Indian refineries are looking for opportunities to buy some consignments of Iranian oil, which are currently held in floating storage at sea. Sumit Ritolia, chief analyst at Kpler’s refining and modeling division, said the change in destination could be due to payment terms. Vadinar has a refinery with an annual capacity of 20 million tonnes; It is operated by Nayara Energy—a company backed by Russian oil giant Rosneft.
Historically, India has been a major buyer of Iranian crude oil. Ritolia said it is not unusual for Iranian crude to change destinations while in transit; However, it emphasizes that trade terms and financial risks have now become as important as logistics. India’s petroleum ministry has already said that any decision to resume purchasing Iranian oil will depend on technical and commercial feasibility. Historically, India has been a major buyer of Iranian crude oil.
