Bagong Oil Buffer: Russian Crude Shipment Reaches PH as Energy Fears Rise
A ship carrying more than 700,000 barrels of Russian crude oil has arrived in the Philippines, giving the country a small but timely supply boost as officials deal with an energy emergency linked to the war in the Middle East. The vessel, the Sierra Leone-flagged Sara Sky, reportedly reached the country on Monday.
According to a source cited by Agence France-Presse in a report carried by The Manila Times, the cargo came from Russia’s ESPO pipeline and documents listed Petron Corp. as the consignee. Petron operates the country’s only oil refinery, located in Limay, Bataan, where an AFP journalist later saw the ship at anchor.
Based on current Philippine oil demand, the shipment would add less than two days to the country’s fuel inventory. Maliit siya compared to total demand, but it matters because global supply has been rattled by the conflict that led to partial closure of the Strait of Hormuz and pushed fuel costs to painful levels.
Petron CEO Ramon Ang had said last week that the company was in talks to possibly buy Russian oil, although he declined to confirm the specific shipment on Thursday. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. had also said the Philippines was exploring non-traditional suppliers as local stocks were expected to last only about 45 more days at the time of his briefing.
The Department of Energy has since activated a P20-billion emergency fund to help secure supply, while officials are also looking at coal and other stopgap measures to manage power costs. For consumers, the arrival does not solve the whole problem, pero it shows the government and industry are scrambling for every available source of fuel.
Source: The Manila Times — https://www.manilatimes.net/2026/03/27/news/russian-oil-arrives-boosts-buffer-stock/2308678
