Well that was quick. @Windwardai is already tracking what looks to be the first Russian diesel cargo sailing to the US e | Hanami
Well that was quick. @Windwardai is already tracking what looks to be the first Russian diesel cargo sailing to the US east coast, due to arrive in ~48-72 hours.
Less than 24 hours ago OFAC issued General Licence No 135 that temporarily authorised the sale and import Russia’s diesel and gasoil until April 2027.
The MR tanker hasn't disclosed a destination since it sailed from the Russian Baltic port of St Petersburg last month laden with ~280,000 bbl diesel/gasoil (@Vortexa).
In reality, there isn’t much Russian diesel/gasoil to buy. There will likely be only a few cargoes that can be imported to the US right now. These are volumes that are unlikely to deal with the global shortage or meaningfully influence domestic prices in the US.
Russia’s diesel and gasoil exports cratered over the third quarter, falling to 190,000 bpd, Vortexa data show. That compares to 690,000 bpd in the second quarter and 850,000 bpd in the first.
Russia extended export bans on gasoline and diesel in July to address domestic shortfalls after attacks on their refineries over 2026 left 51% of capacity offline according to the Ukraine’s Defence Ministry as of Oct 4 .
Shortages were so acute the federation imported diesel/gasoil as well as gasoline over the third quarter. The most recent import was seen on Oct 7 with 150,000 barrels of diesel imported to the Russian port of Vysotsk on the Western-sanctioned Russia-flagged medium-range tanker Soyana (IMO 9327372) Vortexa data show.
The six-month licence also suggests, that as per my earlier posts, nobody sees freedom of navigation being restored to the Strait of Hormuz any time soon.