The country’s second-largest public sector refiner Bharat Petroleum Corporation (BPCL) expects crude oil purchases from Russia to fall in November due to Russian crude’s poor commercial viability — specifically elevated freight costs and high supplier premiums — compared to West Asian oil, whose availability and commercial viability have been improving in recent months, according to the company’s director (finance) Vetsa Ramakrishna Gupta.

“Our spot crude share remained at around 67% in Q2 (July-September) while Russian grades accounted for approximately 37% of our total crude procurement, both broadly in line with the previous quarter.…