Daniel Wolfram
Trump issued a sanctions waiver for Russian diesel, overlooked a 2022 import ban, and watched every cargo ship flee the country
Plans to bring Russian diesel into metropolitan East Coast ports in the U.S. have hit a major political snafu. Despite a federal sanctions waiver last month, no Russian cargo ships with diesel have docked.
Trouble started last week when Democratic New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill said that port operators accepting the fuel would face punishment. Unloading those cargoes would break a 2022 federal ban by the Biden administration.
“In recent days, one tanker carrying Russian diesel that had signaled it was U.S.-bound made a U-turn about 400 nautical miles off New York,” Bloomberg wrote.
Ships scatter worldwide
That ship, the Agioi Fanendes, missed its expected November 7 arrival date. Carrying nearly 300,000 barrels, it traced a zigzag path offshore, Bloomberg noted.
Back in late October, the Financial Times reported that three tankers were carrying 140,000 tons of Russian diesel toward the United States. Now, all three have changed course.
The Talisman turned back through the Strait of Gibraltar toward Egypt’s El Dekheila port. The Leruo turned toward Brazil instead, where maritime firm Kpler tracks three other vessels from Russia’s Primorsk port.
Brazil weighs offers
Brazilian fuel distributors are now fielding offers for at least four tanker loads this month, said Sergio Araujo, president of importer group Abicom. Those 1.1 million barrels would nearly double Brazil’s October Russian imports, data shows.
However, local traders said the prices are still less appealing than American fuel. Brazil ranks second worldwide in diesel imports behind Australia, buying roughly one-third of its supply abroad.
The fuel debacle follows an October 9 deal between President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin to ease global shortages. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy blasted the U.S. waiver as “weak” that same evening during talks in Miami.
