India is feasting on Venezuelan oil after the U.S. Imposed a de facto ban on crude imports from the Latin American state.

While flows to the U.S. Got here to a halt, India became the No. 1 consumer of Venezuelan crude inside the first 1/2 of February, with imports jumping sixty-six percent to 620,000 barrels an afternoon. Indian refiners Reliance Industries Ltd and Nayara Energy Ltd, backed by Rosneft Oil Co PJSC, are driving the increase.

Still, Venezuelan crude exports have plunged because U.S. President Donald Trump ratcheted up sanctions on the country’s oil corporation. Oil shipments, the commodity that bankrolls the regime of embattled President Nicolas Maduro, fell to one.12 million barrels daily within the first 1/2 of February, down 9.2 percent compared with the equal length in January. No U.S.-sure vessels have left Venezuelan ports at that point.

Seven Venezuelan oil-encumbered vessels loaded for U.S. Refiners Valero Energy Corp and Chevron Corp have been stranded, seeing that sanctions were announced on Jan. 28, as nation-owned Petroleos de Venezuela SA demands prematurely price for the cargoes.

Meanwhile, shipments to long-time ally China, struggling to get better at least the $50 billion it loaned to Venezuela during the last 12 years, have bogged down. Imports fell by way of 50 percent to 120,000 barrels day by day.