How Trump’s Russian Diesel Could End Up in Cuba Instead
The tanker billed as the first to carry Russian diesel to the United States under Donald Trump’s deal with Vladimir Putin has dropped New York as its destination. The Malta-flagged Agioi Fanendes left Primorsk on October 22 with about 40,000 metric tons of ultra-low-sulfur diesel, due in New York on November 7. Lloyd’s List reported it idling off Skagen, Denmark, on October 26. Its tracking now…
A tanker, billed as the first to deliver Russian diesel to the United States under President Donald Trump's agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin, has abandoned its planned destination of New York. The Malta-flagged vessel, Agioi Fanendes, set sail from Primorsk on October 22 carrying approximately 40,000 metric tons of ultra-low-sulfur diesel.
Initially scheduled to arrive in New York on November 7, its tracking data now indicates it is at sea with no declared port of call. On October 26, the tanker was spotted idling off Skagen, Denmark.
Senator Richard Blumenthal penned a letter to Thanassis Martinos, the managing director of the tanker's Athens-based owner, Eastern Mediterranean Maritime, pressing for a recall of the vessel should it intend to deliver to a U.S. port. He also warned against engaging in future Russian diesel deals. Blumenthal argued that the 2022 Ending Importation of Russian Oil Act prohibits such cargo, irrespective of the Treasury's General License 135 that authorizes Russian diesel transactions until April 7, 2027.
He demanded the company disclose all relevant details regarding the transaction, including the seller, buyer, charterer, insurer, and terminal operator, by October 31.
A bipartisan coalition of lawmakers has cautioned financial institutions, including Goldman Sachs, as well as port authorities in Houston, Corpus Christi, Beaumont, and New York/New Jersey, that handling the imports may expose them to civil and criminal liability. Malta's sanctions unit is requesting price-cap attestations from the tanker's owners.
Two additional tankers, the Leruo and the Talisman, are also transporting Russian diesel destined for the U.S., and are both under Western sanctions. According to Kpler, the three cargoes amount to 924,000 barrels. Deputy Prime Minister of Russia, Alexander Novak, stated a fourth tanker was expected to depart on October 28.
President Trump has dismissed his Republican critics as individuals who "can't really be serious." With no declared destination and U.S. banks and ports cautioned away, the Agioi Fanendes may be rerouted to Cuba. The island faced a severe diesel shortage in May after two Russian tankers reached its coast in spring, despite the U.S. blockade. President Trump had previously expressed no objection to a sanctioned Russian tanker supplying oil to Cuba.
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