Russian Oil Enters US Through Bahamas Blending Loophole

A US refiner imported 10,000 barrels of Russian oil through a blending loophole at storage terminals in the Bahamas.

The crude, brought into Wilmington, Delaware in November, didn’t violate US sanctions because it was exported from Russia to the Bahamas prior to March 8, 2022, when the sanctions began, said Morgan Butterfield, an Energy Information Administration spokesperson. It was then commingled with other oil before being imported into the US, he said.