Tanker Diverts 400 Miles From New York Port
An oil tanker carrying Russian diesel diverted its course roughly 400 nautical miles from New York after briefly signaling it would head to the United States, Novinky reported on Tuesday.
The vessel Agioi Fanendes carries about 40,000 tons of ultra-low sulfur diesel, according to Bloomberg shipping data cited by Novinky. The ship departed from the Russian Baltic port of Primorsk in late October.
It moved slowly along a zigzag route since Monday while changing its destination status to “as directed.” Eastern Mediterranean Maritime Ltd., which operates the vessel, told Bloomberg that the ship continues its voyage under received instructions because a final discharge port has not yet been confirmed.
Two Prior Tankers Alter Course
Two other tankers carrying Russian diesel, the Talisman and the Leruo, changed course earlier and stopped heading toward American ports, according to the Financial Times. The Talisman headed into the Mediterranean toward the coast of Algeria, while the Leruo sailed toward Brazil, as reported by the news service Nexta.
The Financial Times noted that the Talisman sails under the Sierra Leone flag and has a Hong Kong owner, while both vessels remain on European and British sanctions lists. The Talisman also appears on an American sanctions list, and the Leruo features on a Canadian list, Denik reported.
Diesel deal update: Russian fuel shipments to the US at risk of falling through Two of the three tankers carrying Russian diesel have changed course. The Talisman has headed into the Mediterranean towards the coast of Algeria, while the Leruo is heading to Brazil. The third… pic.twitter.com/c3qpuDyuKJ
Trump Agrees to Supply Russian Diesel to Lower Prices
Donald Trump agreed in October with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to partially suspend sanctions and supply Russian diesel to the US to lower fuel prices, Novinky reported. Trump announced on October 9 that Russia would immediately export 300,000 tons of diesel, followed by 500,000 tons in November and one million tons shortly after, according to Hospodářské noviny.
The agreement sparked criticism from Ukraine and US lawmakers, including Republicans, while New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill warned terminal operators against accepting Russian fuel due to potential legal penalties, according to Novinky and Denik.
Moscow Denies Course Changes
Kirill Dmitriev, dismissed the reports as fake news, stating that the ships continue on their original course, Hospodářské noviny reported.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the TASS news agency that commercial vessels were dispatched and that he could not share details, though he assured that all diesel would find buyers. Meanwhile, Bloomberg reported that no shipments of Russian motor oil have reached the United States under the agreement so far.
Questions About Russian Diesel Shipments to the US
When did the first tanker carrying Russian diesel set sail for the United States?
The first vessel carrying Russian diesel under the agreement sailed on October 23, according to Hospodářské noviny.
What volume of diesel did the agreement involve?
Trump announced that Russia would immediately export 300,000 tons of diesel, followed by 500,000 tons in November and an additional million tons thereafter, as reported by Hospodářské noviny and Centrum.cz.
Which official warned terminal operators against accepting the shipments?
New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill explicitly warned terminal operators in her state against accepting Russian fuel to avoid potential legal penalties, according to Novinky.
More on New York
🧵By the Numbers: Highlights from the latest #BearMarketBrief 1) 40,000 metric tons – amount of Russian diesel headed to New York aboard the Agioi Fanendes, a Maltese-flagged tanker. The vessel left the port of Primorsk on October 22 and was due to arrive in New York on November 7… pic.twitter.com/EgS2H4HNgu.
Tanker carrying Russian diesel turns around 740 km from New York The Agioi Fanendes left Primorsk on 22 October and was due to deliver 40,000 tonnes of fuel to the US coast. However, since Monday, the vessel has been slowly (but surely) zigzagging away from the American coast,… pic.twitter.com/ahgwth4PAm