Only One Russian Diesel Tanker Still Appears Bound for the U.S.

At a Glance

• Only one of three tankers reported sailing to the U.S. with Russian diesel still appears headed for the Atlantic coast.
• General License 135 has yet to result in any Russian diesel cargo delivered to the U.S.
• Two of the tankers, TALISMAN and LERUO, are sanctioned, presenting political and compliance challenges for buyers, port authorities and marine service providers.
• TALISMAN changed its AIS destination to “For Order” and sailed through the Strait of Gibraltar.
• LERUO amended its AIS destination to “Brazil for order.”
• Greece-owned AGIOI FANENDES is not sanctioned and appears to still be sailing for the northeast U.S. coast.

Only One Tanker Still Appears Bound for the U.S. Despite General License 135

Only one of the three reported tankers that were sailing to the U.S. with Russian diesel appears to be still heading for the Atlantic coast.

The issuing of General License 135 on October 9, which temporarily allows Russian diesel to be imported to the U.S., has yet to result in any cargo being delivered to the U.S.

Three Tankers Set Out for the U.S. With Russian Diesel

Three tankers were flagged last month as sailing for the U.S. with diesel cargoes, including Russia-flagged TALISMAN (IMO 9292060), Sierra Leone-flagged LERUO (IMO 9385831) and Malta-flagged AGIOI FANENDES (IMO 9798375).

The first two were sanctioned by the EU, the UK, or the U.S., or a combination of all three, presenting political and compliance challenges for buyers, port authorities and other marine service providers. The third tanker, which is Greece-owned, is not sanctioned and appears to be the only one on a trajectory that is likely to see a U.S. port discharge.

Changing AIS Destinations Signal Shifting Plans

TALISMAN has changed its AIS-declared destination of “Atlantic Coast FO” to “For Order” and has sailed through the Strait of Gibraltar. LERUO has also amended its AIS destination to “Brazil for order” from “Atlantic coast for order”, also signaling an amendment of its original U.S. plans. The AGIOI FANENDES is similarly circumspect. After originally signaling New York, the tanker is now signaling “for orders” but appears to be sailing for the northeast U.S. coast still.

Written by Michelle Wiese Bockmann, Windward MIOC Senior Maritime Intelligence Analyst.