A tanker carrying 40,000 metric tonnes of Russian diesel is heading to New York following an agreement between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump, according to shipping data.
The Malta-flagged tanker, Agioi Fanendes, loaded the ultra-low sulphur diesel at Russia’s Baltic port of Primorsk on October 22 and is expected to arrive in the United States on November 7, data from LSEG showed on Friday.
The shipment comes as Trump seeks to bring down diesel prices ahead of the November 3 US midterm elections. His administration has taken several steps aimed at easing fuel costs, including waiving parts of a new sanctions law against Russia and threatening to ban US diesel exports to Europe unless European countries release more fuel from their emergency reserves.
Under the agreement reached by Putin and Trump, Russia agreed to lift its self-imposed ban on diesel exports and supply the fuel to international markets, including the United States.
Trump announced on October 9 that Russia would immediately export 300,000 metric tonnes of diesel, equivalent to 2.25 million barrels. He also said another 500,000 tonnes would follow in November, with an additional one million tonnes to be supplied “immediately thereafter”.
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said last week that the country could increase diesel exports to between three million and 3.5 million tonnes monthly by the end of the year, returning to its usual export levels.
Shipping data also showed that diesel cargoes were loaded at Primorsk last week, although their final destinations remained unclear. Most of the vessels were signalling destinations such as Gibraltar, the Atlantic Coast or Port Said.
Russia has increasingly redirected its diesel exports to other markets since the European Union’s full embargo on Russian oil products took effect in February 2023 following the war in Ukraine.
Since then, Brazil and Turkey have been among the main destinations for Russian diesel, alongside several African countries.
The latest shipment to the United States marks a notable development in Russian fuel exports as Washington seeks to manage domestic diesel prices ahead of the midterm elections.
