Morocco sharply increased its imports of Russian diesel in December, marking a significant jump from previous months. According to data compiled by LSEG and market sources, the country received 321,000 metric tons of diesel during the month—more than four times the 70,000 tons imported in November.
This surge is part of a broader trend: Russia’s exports of refined fuel have been climbing, driven by a seasonal dip in domestic demand and a boost in output. In December alone, Russian shipments of diesel and gasoil reached approximately 3.41 million tons, a near 40% increase from the previous month.
Much of this growth was propelled by activity at Russia’s southern ports, particularly Tuapse and Novorossiysk. These hubs saw shipments rise by nearly 60%. A key factor was the Tuapse refinery, operated by Rosneft, which resumed operations at the end of November after a two-week shutdown triggered by drone strikes. Its restart helped fuel a renewed wave of exports in December.
Turkey continues to be the top buyer of Russian diesel, consistently receiving around 1.1 million tons. Brazil also stepped up its purchases significantly, bringing in 600,000 tons in December compared to just 230,000 tons the month before. Morocco is now clearly following the same trend, with a striking boost in import volume.
At the same time, several ship-to-ship transfers took place near Malta, Limassol, and Port Said, involving an estimated 500,000 tons of diesel. The final destinations of these shipments remain unclear. By the end of December, roughly 310,000 tons of diesel loaded from Russian ports still had no declared port of discharge.
