European Union leaders reached an agreement this week to ban the majority of Russian crude oil and petroleum product imports, but nations were already shunning the country's oil, altering global flows for the commodity that powers the world.
Russian oil exports had already been hurt by some EU members acting in anticipation of potential measures, in addition to bans from countries including the United States, according to commodity data firm Kpler.
The amount of Russian crude oil that was on the water this month was nearly 80 million barrels, up from less than 30 million barrels prior to the Ukraine invasion.
The rise in the volume of crude on the water is due to more barrels going to India and China, according to Matt Smith, lead oil analyst for the Americas.
Prior to the invasion of Ukraine, a lot more Russian crude was moving to nearby destinations in Northwest Europe.
Russia's invasion of Ukraine at the end of February has sent energy markets reeling. Europe is dependent on Russian fuel and Russia is the largest oil and products exporter in the world.
EU leaders had been debating a sixth round of sanctions for weeks, but a possible oil embargo became a sticking point. Hungary did not agree to a blanket ban. A ban on Russian energy would be a "atomic bomb" for Hungary's economy, said Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
The leaders of the bloc agreed on Monday to target Russian seaborne crude, leaving room for countries like Hungary to continue to import supplies.
In March, oil prices surged to the highest level since 2008 as buyers fretted over energy availability, given the market's already tight conditions. Prices were already rising prior to the invasion because producers have kept output in check.
Russia's invasion of Ukraine has caused an unraveling of how the global market historically sources barrels, according to a note to clients.
The International Energy Agency said in March that three million barrels per day of Russian oil output was at risk. The data collected prior to the EU agreeing to ban Russian oil show that the exports of Russian fuel into Northwest Europe had already fallen off a cliff.
The country's oil is still finding buyers, at least for now, as it trades at a discount to international benchmark crude.
According to data from Kpler, more oil is heading to India and China.
Russian oil production has declined since the start of the war, but exports have remained resilient, according to Wolfe Research.
Russia has re-routed exports to India, which is visible in vessel traffic through the Suez Canal, according to the firm. In May, traffic through the key waterway is up 45% compared to the same month last year.
The trade patterns that lead to the re-routing of Black Sea tanker ships down the Suez Canal can portend bigger supply problems in the future because the market is clearly down.
Gabriel Cortes contributed reporting.
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