Group 1 - Two Indian refiners, Hindustan Petroleum Corp. and Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals, purchased a total of 5 million barrels of crude oil from the US, Iraq, and the UAE to find alternatives to Russian crude [1][2] - Hindustan Petroleum Corp. acquired 2 million barrels of West Texas Intermediate and 2 million barrels of Murban crude, while Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals bought 1 million barrels of Basra Medium, all for delivery in January [1][2] - The search for alternative oil supplies was prompted by the Trump administration's sanctions on Rosneft and Lukoil, which significantly impacted Indian imports from Russia [2][3] Group 2 - The sanctions led to a rush among oil buyers to secure supplies before the sanctions took effect on November 21, with some buyers looking for loopholes to access discounted Russian crude [3] - Reports indicated unusual activities involving two tankers sanctioned by the EU and the UK, which conducted a ship-to-ship transfer off the Indian coast [4] - Following the transfer, one tanker continued to Kochi, India, while the other headed to Russia, highlighting ongoing complexities in the oil supply chain [4] Group 3 - India's President Droupadi Murmu emphasized the importance of Angola in India's energy security, stating that Indian oil and gas companies are seeking long-term contracts with Angolan energy entities [5] - India is a major buyer of Angola's oil and gas, and there is a desire to invest in both energy commodities and critical minerals [5]

India’s Reliance Industries, the top private refiner in the country, is looking to sell some UAE and Iraqi crude in a rare spot market offer, trade sources told Bloomberg on Thursday. Reliance has been a major buyer of crude from the Middle East and Russia in recent years. After the U.S. sanctions on Russia’s top oil firms Rosneft and Lukoil last month, the Indian refiner of billionaire Mukesh Ambani snapped up millions of barrels of crude from the Middle East as it said it would comply with the Trump Adm ...