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The first shipment of diesel from Russia has set sail for the US market following a surprise agreement between US President Donald Trump and Russia on diesel exports.
The first shipment of diesel from Russia has set sail for the US market following a surprise agreement between US President Donald Trump and Russia on diesel exports. According to shipping movement data, a tanker carrying Russian diesel is heading towards New York. However, the vessel's management company has not yet confirmed its final destination. According to the international news agency Reuters, the Malta-flagged medium-range tanker Agiu Feniandes loaded 40,000 metric tonnes of ultra-low-sulphur diesel at the Russian port of Primorsk on October 22. Shipping data indicates that the vessel is expected to arrive in the United States on November 7.
However, an official from EastMed, the vessel's management company, said that the ship was currently awaiting further instructions and that its destination had not yet been finalised. The company said that neither the discharge port nor the country where the cargo would be unloaded had been determined. Trump reached the agreement with Russia as part of efforts to bring down rising diesel prices ahead of the US midterm elections scheduled for November 3. As part of the arrangement, Washington granted exemptions from certain provisions of the new sanctions legislation imposed on Russia.
Trump also warned European countries that the United States could impose restrictions on diesel exports if they failed to release additional oil from their emergency reserves. According to the report, this shipment would be the first Russian diesel cargo to reach the United States since former US President Joe Biden announced a ban on imports of Russian oil and petroleum products in 2022.
On October 9, Trump announced that Russia would immediately export 300,000 metric tons of diesel, equivalent to approximately 2.25 million barrels, to the United States and international markets. This was followed by an announcement of an additional 500,000 tons in November, with a further one million tons to be supplied subsequently. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed on Friday that the first vessel under the agreement had departed, although he did not specify whether its destination was the United States or another market. He added that further shipments would also continue.
Under the agreement, Russia has lifted its own restrictions on diesel exports. Following the European Union's complete ban on Russian petroleum products in February 2023, introduced in response to the war in Ukraine, Russia redirected most of its diesel exports to Turkey, Brazil and African countries. It also continued supplying Central Asian markets by rail.
