Commodities traders such as Trafigura and Vitol have helped keep Russia’s oil flowing through its Baltic and Black Sea ports in March, when some Western firms started to snub the market, according to ship tracking, traders and shipping sources. Both Swiss-based trading houses have long-term deals with state-run Russian oil giant Rosneft to load crude under agreements struck before Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine triggered a wave of Western sanctions this month. So far in March, the two companies combined have loaded 22 cargoes of Urals crude, equivalent to 2.32 million tonnes of oil or 16.7 million barrels, according to Refinitiv Eikon ship tracking data and sources. They shipped 1.84 million tonnes in February and 1.80 million in January. The bulk of the oil the two companies buy comes from Rosneft, though a large chunk of the crude Vitol handles via Russian ports comes […]