Under a one-month exemption from the United States, which permits sales due to disrupted Middle Eastern supplies, refiners can now legally purchase at least 19 million barrels of Russian crude oil stored on 25 tankers across Asia. The U.S. Treasury Department took action on Thursday, authorizing the acquisition of Russian crude stranded in floating storage tankers until April 11. According to vessel tracking data, approximately 30 tankers carrying Russian crude oil and petroleum products are currently located in Asia. Data indicates that 25 of these vessels are loaded with crude oil, while the remainder carry refined products, primarily naphtha. The volume of oil approved for sale is relatively small, especially when compared to the supply disruptions caused by the blockage of the Strait of Hormuz. However, these sales could help alleviate imminent energy supply concerns in certain parts of Asia. Competition for Russian supplies in Asia is expected to be intense, particularly from India, which has been the primary buyer of Russian crude over the past four years. Sushant Gupta, Wood Mackenzie's Asia-Pacific Director of Refining and Oil Research, stated, "Alternative sources of crude supply in Asia are very limited, and India is competing for Russian crude." Analysts noted that the U.S. exemption for Russian oil, along with the International Energy Agency's coordinated release of a record 400 million barrels from reserves, falls far short of compensating for the supply gap emerging in the Middle East. Gulf producers have already shut in approximately 10 million barrels per day of oil production, and if the Strait of Hormuz blockage persists for months rather than weeks, the scale of production cuts could expand further.