Seven Tankers Carrying 288,000 Tonnes of Russian Diesel Steam Toward US Waters
A flotilla of seven oil tankers hauling an estimated 288,000 tonnes of Russian diesel is heading to the United States, but it is unclear whether they will be allowed to unload as a political fight over the shipments' legality heats up.
The transport marks the first phase of a controversial supply deal negotiated between President Donald Trump and President Vladimir Putin earlier this month, which reverses years of sanctions on Russian oil [274273]. The shipments are now at the center of a political dispute over their legality, and it remains uncertain whether the vessels will be permitted to unload their cargo [274273].
The pressure group Greenpeace is tracking the tankers' movements as they sail toward the United States [274273].
The fate of the flotilla comes as Washington reportedly weighs a separate plan to convert Russia's "dark tankers" — ships that currently operate in secret to move sanctioned oil — into legitimate vessels [274197]. Under that proposal, the converted tankers would be allowed to transport crude oil that is not subject to sanctions [274197]. The move could weaken Western pressure on Moscow and may also help fund Russia's war in Ukraine [274197].
The Russian diesel shipments represent a significant reversal of years of sanctions policy on Russian oil, and the uncertainty over their reception in the US has drawn attention from environmental monitoring groups [274273].