After Declaring a State of Emergency: Philippines Receives Russian Oil Shipment

A ship carrying more than 700,000 barrels of Russian crude oil arrived in the Philippines, an informed source told AFP on Thursday, days after Manila declared a national energy emergency due to the war raging in the Middle East.

The oil tanker "Sara Sky", flying the flag of Sierra Leone and loaded with high-quality crude from Russia's ESPO pipeline, arrived Monday with documents showing the consignee was Petron Corp., operator of the Philippines' only oil refinery, AFP reported citing the source.

The Philippines relies heavily on imported fuel, the cost of which has reached record levels since the US-Israeli war against Iran caused partial closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

An AFP journalist saw the "Sara Sky" anchored on Thursday at the port of Limay near Manila, where the Petron refinery is located. This is the first Russian oil shipment to reach the Philippines in five years, according to media reports.

Last week, Ramon Ang, CEO of Petron, told AFP the company was "in discussions" about a possible purchase of Russian oil.

On Thursday, he declined to confirm the shipment's arrival.

On Wednesday, President Ferdinand Marcos said the Philippines is making sweeping efforts in its search for fuel, as the country's stockpiles are expected to last only 45 days.

At a press conference he added: "We haven't just turned to our traditional oil suppliers, we are trying to explore other sources that are not affected by the war in the Middle East... Nothing is off the table. We are considering everything, everything we can do."

This month the United States lifted some restrictions on Russian crude sales, which would allow countries to purchase oil that was at sea until April 11.