Overview
- Ship-tracking data published Thursday showed several sanctioned tankers that had been sent toward the U.S. changed course or listed open destinations, signaling the planned deliveries are faltering.
- The Talisman and Leruo, both reported under Western sanctions, were tracked toward Algeria and Brazil respectively while the Agioi Fanendes still shows a U.S. heading but lacks confirmed unloading permission from port authorities.
- New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill warned port and terminal operators that accepting or unloading the cargo could expose them to civil and criminal penalties, and that notice has made buyers and operators wary.
- The U.S. Treasury’s temporary carve-out to allow Russian diesel created legal uncertainty that industry sources say prompted buyers to refuse shipments and encouraged some vessels to divert to traditional markets like Brazil.
- European and Ukrainian leaders criticized the arrangement as a way to fund Moscow, the Kremlin denied reports of diversions, and if shipments fail to arrive the move could undercut the administration’s effort to lower diesel costs for rural drivers and farmers.