A Malta-flagged tanker, the Agioi Fanendes, left Russia’s Primorsk on October 22 carrying about 40,000 metric tons of ultra-low-sulfur diesel, initially bound for New York. After being spotted off Denmark, it removed New York as its destination and began listing its status as “for orders,” leaving its next port unclear. The shipment is part of a proposed U.S. import of Russian diesel under a Trump administration license, which authorizes such transactions through April 7, 2027. Senator Richard Blumenthal disputes the license’s legality, arguing that a 2022 law bars Russian oil imports and cannot be overridden by presidential approval. He has demanded information from the tanker’s owner and urged it to avoid U.S. deliveries.
The cargo faces mounting obstacles: lawmakers have warned banks and ports that handling Russian diesel could create civil or criminal liability, and Malta’s sanctions authorities are seeking documentation from the ship’s owners. Two other tankers carrying Russian diesel toward the United States are reportedly under Western sanctions; together, the three ships’ cargoes amount to about 924,000 barrels, with another shipment expected to depart. With U.S. financial and port services under pressure to refuse the trade, the tanker could be redirected to Cuba, which faced shortages of diesel and fuel oil after running out in May. Russian tankers reached the island earlier in the year despite a U.S. blockade, and Trump has said he would not oppose a sanctioned Russian tanker delivering oil there.
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