India, March 18 -- A Russian oil-laden tanker originally bound for China has reversed course in the South China Sea and is now heading to India. The move comes amid a global energy crisis caused amid the US-Iran war.

Ship-tracking data show that the Aframax tanker Aqua Titan is expected to arrive at the port of New Mangalore on March 21 carrying a cargo of Russia's Urals crude. The vessel had loaded the oil from a Baltic Sea port in late January and initially signaled the Chinese port of Rizhao as its destination.

However, the tanker made an abrupt turnaround in Southeast Asian waters in mid-March and began heading toward India. The course change came around the time when the United States allowed India to increase its purchases of Russ...