Russian Oil Arrives as Philippines Battles ‘Energy Emergency’

March 27, 2026

1 minute read

A ship carrying more than 700,000 barrels of Russian crude oil has arrived in the Philippines, a source with knowledge of the matter told AFP yesterday, days after the country declared a national energy emergency over the Middle East war.

The Sierra Leone-flagged Sara Sky, bearing high-quality crude from Russia’s ESPO pipeline arrived on Monday, with documents showing the consignee as Petron Corp, operator of the Philippines’ sole oil refinery, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous as they were not authorised to speak to press.

The Philippines is heavily dependent on imported fuel, the cost of which has hit historic highs since the US-Israeli war with Iran forced the partial closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

An AFP journalist yesterday saw the Sara Sky at anchor in Limay port just outside Manila, where the Petron refinery is located. It is believed to be the first shipment of Russian oil to the Philippines in five years.

Last week, Ramon Ang, CEO of Petron, told AFP the company was ‘in talks’ to potentially purchase Russian oil.

President Ferdinand Marcos said Wednesday that the Philippines was casting a wide net in its search for fuel, with the country’s dwindling stocks expected to last only another 45 days.

The United States this month eased some restrictions on sales of Russian crude, allowing countries to purchase oil that was already at sea until April 11.

Kpler analyst Muyu Xu told AFP around 120 million barrels of Russian oil may have been at sea at the time, adding much of it may have already been pre-ordered by Chinese or Indian clients.

Yesterday, the Philippines’ Department of Energy activated a 20 billion-peso ($332 million) emergency fund that Energy Secretary Sharon Garin called a ‘proactive step’ to securing fuel supplies. –AFP

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