The motive is said to be to secure fuel supplies in Russia.
The reaction to the Russian export ban – which is said to be in effect for three weeks – is intensifying as the energy market is especially sensitive to supply disruptions in the shadow of the Iran war and the problems in getting oil products from the Persian Gulf to the world market.
Last year, Russia – the world's second-largest exporter of diesel after the United States – accounted for around 11 percent of global diesel production, according to research firm Vortexa.
Even before the ban, Russian exports of diesel and other fuels had fallen sharply. June deliveries were not even half the volume delivered in June last year.
