A Russian oil tanker, Aqua Titan, has arrived at the New Mangalore Port after reversing course in the South China Sea and ditching its travel to Beijing.
The Cameroon-flagged vessel arrived at the port around 11:30am on Sunday, just four days after reports said it made an abrupt turnaround in Southeast Asian waters in mid-March.
The tanker was originally bound for China but began heading to India instead, with the shipping ministry confirming its expected arrival on March 21.
The arrival comes amid a global oil crisis, with the US granting a 30-day waiver to India to purchase Russian energy.
Indian refiners have bought 30 million barrels of Russian oil since the US greenlit the purchases, with the waiver aimed at taking off global pressure amid the escalating US-Iran war and wider conflict in the Middle East.
