Chinese and Indian refiners are seeking alternative fuel supplies as they adapt to severe new U.S. sanctions on Russian producers and tankers that are designed to curb the revenues of the world's second-largest oil exporter.

STORY: Chinese and Indian refiners are scouring the globe for supplies of crude, according to traders speaking to Reuters..It follows a move by the US last week to impose sanctions on Russian oil producers Gazprom Neft and Surgutneftegas.

Russian oil exports will be hurt severely by the new sanctions, pushing China and India, the world’s top and third-largest oil importers respectively, to source more crude from the Middle East, Africa and the Americas, which will boost prices and shipping costs, traders and analysts said.