New Delhi: India has sharply increased purchases of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the United States as disruptions linked to the conflict in West Asia constrain supplies from traditional Gulf suppliers, data from maritime intelligence firm Kpler showed.
India imported about 0.62 million tonnes of LPG from the United States in August, in addition to 0.89 million tonnes in July, accounting for more than 73 per cent of the country’s LPG imports, according to Kpler data.
The July US volume was almost equal to the highest-ever monthly LPG import from the United Arab Emirates, India’s traditional supplier, of 0.891 million tonnes in October 2025.
Imports from Gulf suppliers have fallen sharply after the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, following the outbreak of war between Iran and the United States. The waterway is a key shipping route for crude oil and gas exported by Gulf producers to major consumers, including India.
UAE LPG imports fell to about 1,40,000 tonnes in August, while Qatar supplied around 60,000 tonnes, Kpler data showed. Saudi Arabia supplied no LPG to India in either July or August.
The shift has also been visible in LNG, although India’s sourcing pattern has been more diversified.
LNG imports from Qatar, India’s largest source of the fuel, fell to zero in April, while US supplies rose to about 0.75 million tonnes in August from 0.72 million tonnes in July. Qatar has historically supplied as much as 1.2 million tonnes of LNG a month to India.
“The shift towards the US has broadly continued over the past few months, particularly for LPG,” said Sumit Ritolia, senior manager – modelling.
“I would, however, be cautious about viewing this purely as India deliberately replacing Middle Eastern supplies with US volumes. A large part of the change has been driven by constrained Middle Eastern availability and the need for Indian buyers to diversify and secure replacement cargoes.”
“For LNG, the supplier mix has been somewhat more fluid, with India sourcing incremental cargoes not only from the US but also from other Atlantic Basin and non-traditional suppliers. So, while the US has become increasingly important, the broader story is one of supply diversification following reduced Middle Eastern availability.”
A brief easing of tensions between Iran and the United States has so far not produced a meaningful or sustained decline in US supplies to India, Ritolia said, noting that energy trade flows do not adjust immediately to geopolitical developments because of contractual commitments, cargoes already in transit and procurement lead times.
The increased reliance on more distant suppliers is also raising India’s import costs.
“There is clearly an additional cost associated with replacing nearby Middle Eastern supply with cargoes from the US and other more distant origins,” he said.
“Freight is higher because of the significantly longer voyage, while tighter global availability has also raised the underlying commodity cost.”
“However, I would not attribute the entire increase in India’s LNG or LPG import bill to the shift towards US supplies. The increase reflects a combination of higher international prices, tighter Middle Eastern availability, freight and insurance costs, and longer supply routes. In the current environment, India is effectively paying a premium for supply security and diversification.”
RUSSIA REMAINS KEY CRUDE SUPPLIER
While India’s LNG and LPG sourcing has shifted toward the United States, Russia continues to be the country’s largest crude oil supplier despite the threat of the Graham Bill and potential secondary tariffs, Ritolia said.
India bought almost 2 million barrels per day of crude oil from Russia in August, more than three times the second-largest supplier, the UAE, at 0.61 million tonnes.
“The important distinction here is between policy risk and an immediate physical disruption to trade,” he said.
“Indian refiners typically procure crude several weeks in advance, so even if policy pressure increases, the adjustment would not necessarily be visible immediately in arrival data. We do not expect Russian imports to ease currently, given the overall global crude supply situation remains constrained.”
“Replacing Russian crude completely would be challenging, particularly while Middle Eastern supply and logistics remain constrained. Replacing Russian barrels is technically feasible, but economically and politically fraught.”
Venezuelan crude has also emerged as an increasingly important component of India’s supply diversification since the start of the year, although the scope for further increases is limited by the characteristics of the crude and refinery configurations.
India imported 3,83,000 barrels per day of crude from Venezuela in August.
“Venezuelan crude has also become an increasingly important part of India’s diversification since the start of the year,” Ritolia said.
“However, these are relatively difficult, heavy barrels and not every Indian refinery can process them continuously or in large proportions, which naturally limits how much India can absorb.”
More recently, Venezuelan flows into India have moderated as a greater share of available Venezuelan crude moves to the United States, he said.
“Given the strong fit of these heavier barrels with US Gulf Coast refinery configurations, competition from US refiners could limit how much Venezuelan crude remains available for India going forward.”
Ritolia said the more significant development in India’s crude sourcing has been Venezuela rather than a surge in US crude supplies.
“India has significantly increased its intake of Venezuelan crude, while US crude supplies themselves have not seen a comparable increase.”
He said crude quality was an important factor. Indian refiners cannot simply replace every Russian or Middle Eastern barrel with US crude because much of the incremental US supply is relatively light, while several Indian refineries are configured to process medium and heavier crude.
“Venezuelan barrels therefore provide a useful alternative for some refiners because of their heavier quality.”
“So, if US and Venezuelan crude are combined, the Americas are becoming more important to India’s crude basket, but the recent increase is predominantly being driven by Venezuela rather than by a major ramp-up in US crude.”
UAE CRUDE FLOWS PROVE RESILIENT
UAE crude supplies to India have remained comparatively resilient despite the regional disruption, supported by the country’s pipeline infrastructure to Fujairah and offshore and ship-to-ship logistics that can operate outside the Strait of Hormuz, Ritolia said.
“UAE barrels continue to gain traction as the country has been relatively successful in maintaining exports despite regional disruptions, supported by its pipeline infrastructure to Fujairah and offshore/STS logistics outside the Strait of Hormuz,” he said.
“This has allowed UAE crude flows to India to remain comparatively strong at a time when availability from several other Middle Eastern suppliers has been constrained.”
India’s changing energy trade highlights a broader effort to diversify supply across crude, LNG and LPG as geopolitical disruptions reshape established trade routes.
“The broader trend across crude, LNG, and LPG is that India is being forced to cast a much wider net for energy supplies,” Ritolia said.
“The US has become particularly important for LPG and LNG; for crude, Russia continues to dominate along with a steady share of UAE grades, while Venezuela and other alternative suppliers are gaining importance.”
“This diversification improves supply resilience, but it also comes at a cost through longer voyages, higher freight, and, in some cases, a less optimal fit with existing refinery configurations. Ultimately, India’s current sourcing pattern reflects a balance between availability, economics, crude/product quality, and energy security, rather than simply a shift from one supplier to another.”
