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A tanker carrying Russian diesel is heading to New York in the first such shipment to the United States under an energy agreement between Washington and Moscow.
The Malta-flagged tanker Agioi Fanendes loaded about 40,000 metric tonnes of ultra-low sulphur diesel at Russia’s Baltic port of Primorsk on October 22, according to shipping data. The volume is equivalent to nearly 300,000 barrels.
The vessel was tracked off Helsinki on Friday, with New York listed as its destination through its Automatic Identification System, or AIS. It is expected to arrive on the US East Coast around November 7.
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The shipment follows an agreement announced by US President Donald Trump on October 9 to allow Russian diesel supplies to the American market and other destinations. The US administration issued exemptions from some sanctions restrictions to facilitate the trade.
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak earlier confirmed that the first tanker would depart for the United States on October 22, carrying about 40,000 metric tonnes of diesel. Moscow has indicated that further shipments could follow as supply contracts are completed.
Under the broader arrangement, Russia plans to supply hundreds of thousands of tonnes of diesel before increasing exports further in the coming months.
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The deal comes as the Trump administration seeks to reduce high fuel prices in the United States before the November 3 midterm elections.
However, the decision to allow Russian petroleum products back into the US market has attracted criticism from Ukraine, its European allies and some members of Trump’s Republican Party, who argue that increased energy revenues could provide economic support to Moscow.
The Agioi Fanendes shipment marks the first US import of Russian petroleum products since Washington banned them in 2022 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
