The first Russian diesel shipment bound for the United States under a new agreement between Moscow and Washington is heading for New York.
According to ship-tracking data, the Malta-flagged medium tanker Agioi Fanendes left Russia’s Baltic port of Primorsk on October 22. The vessel is carrying 40,000 metric tons of ultra-low sulphur diesel. Moreover, it is expected to arrive in New York on November 7.
President Donald Trump announced the deal earlier this month. He said the move aims to bring down soaring diesel prices ahead of the November 3 midterm elections. In addition, the agreement marks the first US import of Russian petroleum products since former President Joe Biden banned Russian oil imports in 2022.
Trump said Russia will export 300,000 metric tons immediately to the US and global markets. Furthermore, he said Russia will export 500,000 tons in November and 1 million tons immediately after that.
The Kremlin confirmed on Friday that the first tanker has departed. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said further shipments will continue at a steady pace. In addition, he said the Ministry of Energy has already reported the departure.
The deal also includes Russia lifting its self-imposed ban on diesel exports. As a result, Russia has resumed global diesel exports. Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said Russia will increase diesel exports to its usual level of 3 to 3.5 million tons per month by year-end.
However, the identities of the buyer and seller of the current cargo remain unknown.
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