Russian diesel tanker heads to New York as Kremlin claims regular shipments
The Malta-flagged tanker Agioi Fanendes left Russia's port of Primorsk on Oct 22 carrying Russian diesel and is expected to reach New York around Nov 6-7, according to commodity shipping data. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Oct 23 that the first tanker had set off to its buyers and that subsequent shipments would continue on a regular basis, without naming the vessel or the buyers. The US Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control granted on Oct 9 a sanctions waiver to Russia allowing the sale, delivery and import of Russian-origin diesel fuel, including into the US, and Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said the first such cargo is expected to carry about 40,000 metric tons.
Why it matters: The shipment tests how far US sanctions relief can redirect Russian energy trade flows, with a European diesel trader describing the volumes as a displacement from Brazil rather than an increase in overall flows.