China has emerged as the foremost purchaser of Russian seaborne crude, outstripping India’s import volumes, according to data from energy cargo tracker Vortexa. March figures just released point to China importing 1.82mn barrels per day of Russian crude via sea routes, a number significantly higher than India’s 1.36mn bpd of imports. This shift thus marks a significant change in the dynamics of global crude oil trade, with China now taking the global lead with its imports of Russian crude through maritime channels. India’s reduced imports of Russian crude meanwhile are attributed to a combinat…