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Russia Diversifies Oil Trade Routes With First-Ever Naphtha Shipment to Vietnam Amid Sanction Pressure
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![Photo of Cyril Barabaltchouk]( "Photo of Cyril Barabaltchouk")
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Russia has shipped its first-ever naphtha cargo to Vietnam, as the country seeks new buyers to support oil sales impacted by Western sanctions.
The Malta-flagged tanker “Northernlight” loaded around 60,000 metric tons of naphtha in the Russian Baltic port of Vysotsk on June 23. The cargo was then delivered to Vietnam’s Khanh Hoa terminal, as was reported on August 6.
According to data from LSEG and Vortexa, the “Northernlight” discharged up to 27,000 tons of naphtha at the terminal. After the stop in Vietnam, the tanker is heading to the Chinese port of Dalian to offload the remaining cargo, Reuters states.
State-owned Petrolimex, Vietnam’s national petroleum company, did not respond to Reuters' request for comment.
Naphtha, a primary feedstock in the petrochemical industry, is used to produce olefins and aromatics for a wide range of products, including plastics, synthetics, and gasoline blending.
Following the European Union’s full embargo on Russian oil products in February 2023, Russia has redirected its naphtha supplies to the Middle East and Asia.
Despite extensive 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, according to Reuters.
In the past, it was reported that for the third 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 drop, according to data from the Russian Finance Ministry.
