Russia Ships First Naphtha Cargo To Vietnam As It Looks For New Buyers Amid Sanctions

Russia shipped its first naphtha cargo to Vietnam as it seeks new purchasers to support its oil sales impacted by Western sanctions.

Maltese-flagged tanker ship ‘Northernlight’ loaded 60,000 metric tonnes of naphtha in the Russian Baltic Port of Vysotsk on June 23, 2025.

The cargo, comprising 27,000 tons of naphtha, was delivered to Vietnam’s Khanh Hoa Terminal.

After stopping in Vietnam, the tanker is on its way to the Dalian Port, China to offload the remaining cargo.

Naphtha is a major feedstock in the petrochemical industry and is used to produce olefins and aromatics for several products, including plastics, synthetics, and gasoline blending.

After the EU’s full embargo on Russian oil products in February 2023, Russia redirected its naphtha supplies to Asia and the Middle East.

Despite cooperation between Russian state oil companies and Vietnam, Russia does not supply oil to Vietnam, with the only previous test shipment being in 2015 when ESPO Blend oil was sent to the Dung Quat refinery.

It has been reported that for the 3rd consecutive month, the Russian federal budget has recorded a steep decline in oil and gas revenues, with figures for July 2025 showing a 29.9% year-on-year decrease.

Source: Maritime Shipping News