Two of the First Three Tankers Carrying Russian Diesel to the United States Have Diverted: The Third Is Also Awaiting Orders as Buyers Worry About Sanctions and Legal Risk
London — Two of the first three tankers carrying Russian diesel to the United States have diverted mid-voyage, and the third has also switched to signalling 'for orders,' the Financial Times reported on November 5. The cargoes were the first shipments under the diesel deal the United States and Russia reached in October, and so far not one of them has actually docked and unloaded.
The two diverted ships are the Leruo and the Talisman. The Leruo, Sierra Leone-flagged and owned by a Hong Kong entity, is itself on the sanctions lists of the EU, the United Kingdom and Canada; it changed its declared destination to Brazil on November 2. The Talisman, a 20-year-old Russian-flagged tanker sanctioned by the United States, the United Kingdom and the EU, has turned away from the Atlantic, entered the Mediterranean and is now off Algeria signalling 'for orders' — meaning it has no confirmed buyer or discharge port.
The third ship, the Greek-managed Agioi Fanendes, which is not sanctioned, loaded about 40,000 tonnes of diesel at the Russian port of Primorsk on October 22 and originally declared New York as its destination. It now also signals 'for orders,' though it is still sailing toward the U.S. Northeast coast. Matt Smith, an analyst at the shipping data firm Kpler, told the FT the ship was expected to reach the New York area this weekend but could still divert, because buyers are unsure about sanctions and regulatory risks. The three cargoes total about 924,000 barrels. A fourth, sanctioned tanker, the Beast, left Primorsk on October 27 signalling the U.S. Atlantic coast.
The deal began on October 9, when the U.S. Treasury issued General Licence 135 allowing Russian diesel imports until April 7, 2027, and President Trump, after a call with President Putin, announced the arrangement, saying more than 300,000 tonnes of diesel would arrive soon. U.S. diesel inventories have fallen below 100 million barrels, their lowest in more than two decades. But the deal has been controversial from the start: on October 26, senators led by Jeanne Shaheen wrote to warn American banks, ports and fuel distributors that facilitating such imports could bring legal trouble, and New Jersey's governor wrote to port operators across the state telling them not to accept Russian diesel.
(Source: Financial Times)
Source: Financial Times
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：一艘油轮在海上航行（资料图）。CC BY 4.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: An oil tanker at sea (file photo). CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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- 2026-11-05Two of the First Three Tankers Carrying Russian Diesel to the United States Have Diverted: The Third Is Also Awaiting Orders as Buyers Worry About Sanctions and Legal RiskThis story
