Summary
- A Malta-flagged tanker carrying 40,000 metric tons of Russian diesel is heading to New York, according to shipping data, marking the first shipment under an agreement between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin to supply fuel to global markets.
- The cargo represents about 13 percent of the initial 300,000 metric tons Trump said Russia would supply.
- Trump announced the agreement on October 9, saying Russia would initially supply more than 300,000 metric tons of diesel, followed by another 500,000 tons in November and 1 million tons “immediately thereafter”.
A Malta-flagged tanker carrying 40,000 metric tons of Russian diesel is heading to New York, according to shipping data, marking the first shipment under an agreement between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin to supply fuel to global markets.
The tanker, Agioi Fanendes, loaded the fuel at Russia’s Baltic port of Primorsk on October 22 and is expected to arrive in New York on November 7, Reuters reported, citing shipping data.
The cargo represents about 13 percent of the initial 300,000 metric tons Trump said Russia would supply. It is equivalent to roughly 300,000 barrels, or about 7 percent of US daily diesel consumption, according to The Associated Press.
Trump announced the agreement on October 9, saying Russia would initially supply more than 300,000 metric tons of diesel, followed by another 500,000 tons in November and 1 million tons “immediately thereafter”. The move came as his administration sought to ease high fuel prices ahead of the November 3 US midterm elections.
Russia lifted its self-imposed ban on diesel exports on October 9, having introduced the restrictions to address domestic fuel shortages linked to Ukrainian drone attacks on refineries.
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said the first tanker was departing for the United States and that further shipments would follow. He has also said Russia aims to restore diesel exports to between 3 million and 3.5 million metric tons a month by the end of the year, depending on refinery output.
The agreement marks a shift in US policy towards Moscow, which has faced extensive Western sanctions since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has criticised the easing of pressure on Russia, while analysts have questioned whether the shipment will make a meaningful difference to US fuel prices.
The buyer and seller involved in the shipment have not been publicly identified.
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