Doubts over Moroccan re-export of Russian diesel to Spain

Pedro Sánchez’s government has launched an investigation into the illegal entry of Russian diesel into Spain via third countries. According to the Madrid press, these shipments came from Morocco, which at this point was ruled out by the first investigations carried out by the Spanish administrator.

The Spanish government has launched an investigation into the illegal entry of Russian diesel into Spain via third countries. After daily the world Revealing the imports from Morocco, Third Vice President and Environmental Change Minister Teresa Ribera assured that the executive was already investigating the matter, saying the purchase would be in violation of European sanctions imposed on Putin’s regime after the invasion of Ukraine. by Russian forces.

According to the Spanish Vice President, “First Investigations” Made by importers “Show the documents in order and it’s not from Russia”. “But we are vigilant and we will make sure that this is the case,” She promised.

For his part, Repsol CEO Joshua John Imas condemned it “Russian Diesel Continues in European and Spanish Markets” and requested “Confident” Community authorities to prevent illegal fuel from entering Spanish soil.

the world It revealed data on April 28 confirming these imports via Morocco, which began exporting diesel to Spain for the first time since 2015 after buying large quantities of the fuel in Moscow. It is an unprecedented change that has alarmed the authorities and key Spanish players in the energy sector, we assure Madrid.

Suspicious cargo of Benbrahim

On April 6, a total of 30,000 tons of diesel was disclosed, among ten visits of Russian diesel in Morocco from mid-March to early April. Lay desk And operated by BGI Petroleum, a new player in the sector founded by Rida Benbrahim, backed by former DG of CDG, Anass Alami, questions.

According to calculations by the Moscow company Nance-Media, in March alone, Morocco accounted for 12% of all Russian diesel deliveries, ahead of Tunisia (10%) and Algeria (8%). Turkey, for its part, took 33% of these exports.

Moroccan press, however Wall Street Journal, (WSJ) In this sense the re-export of Russian goods to Europe and/or selling them in the local market with significant margins raised suspicions. Thus it was argued that the price of Russian diesel did not exceed 170 dollars per ton, which is a 70% discount from the price observed in the international market.

Responding to this, government spokesman Mustafa Baidas said last March that Russian diesel imports were less than 10% during this government and the previous government. “Import volumes rise to 9% in 2020, 5% in 2021 and 9% in 2022”.

Since the beginning of the year, the average price of diesel, regardless of origin, has been “It remained more or less the same as it obeyed the law of supply and demand”.He explained, reasoning that import prices for a refined product are about $750 per tonne. Hesperus.

According to WSJMorocco will have imported two million barrels of diesel from Russia in January alone, against 600,000 barrels for the whole of 2022. “Receipt of at least an additional 1.2 million barrels in February”.

At the end of March, three Russian vessels docked in the high seas off the coast of Morocco to receive another vessel to carry out an oil transfer operation from Russian ports in the Baltic and Black Seas.

To avoid international sanctions following the war in Ukraine, Russia has set its sights on the maritime zone off the Spanish coast of Ceuta, moving its oil there, hit by the embargo since February. Bound for China and India. Spain is pushing to stop it, while Morocco remains neutral in the conflict and looks after its geopolitical interests, importing more and more Russian diesel.

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