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New Delhi: India has exported jet fuel to the United States' West Coast for the first time. The development came due to a supply shortage after an operational outage at Chevron's El Segundo refinery in California.
The shipment -- 60,000 metric tonnes (472,800 barrels) of aviation turbine fuel -- was loaded between October 28 and 29 at Jamnagar, home to Reliance Industries' refinery complex, according to a Reuters report. It was later dispatched aboard the Panamax tanker Hafnia Kallang. The vessel, chartered by Castleton Commodities, is expected to arrive in Los Angeles in early December.
The export opportunity came after an October incident at Chevron's 285,000 bpd El Segundo refinery, which forced multiple units offline, severely constraining jet fuel production on the US West Coast. Chevron has said repairs to the jet fuel unit are expected to be completed only in early 2026.
"Chevron remains focused on supplying its customers around the world and may utilise local or imported product to do so," the company said in a statement.
Although this is India's first jet fuel cargo to the region, regular shipments are unlikely because imports from Northeast Asia remain more cost-efficient, the report mentioned further citing traders. Freight for 40,000-tonne refined fuel cargoes from South Korea to the US West Coast has stayed steady at about $40 per tonne since October. By comparison, spot rates for India–US West Coast shipments are not commonly listed due to the limited frequency of this route.
Northeast Asia's jet fuel exports to the US West Coast reached a five-month high of around 600,000 tonnes last month, according to Kpler ship-tracking data.
The export comes at a time of ongoing trade tensions between India and the US. India is facing one of the highest tariffs on exports to US. The Trump administration has imposed 25 per cent reciprocal tariffs and 25 per cent penalty for buying discounted Russian crude oil.
