Two of three Russian diesel tankers bound for the US change course

AFP, citing MarineTraffic and Kpler data, said the sanctioned Talisman passed through the English Channel on 29 October, entered the Mediterranean via Gibraltar on 3 November and was off Tunisia on 5 November. The vessel had been due on the US East Coast on 9 November; Kpler says it carries 324,000 barrels of diesel and has no destination port. Leruo listed Brazil as its destination. Sources differ on the third ship, Agioi Fanendes: AFP says it showed New York and was due to berth on 7 November, while AP says its destination changed to awaiting orders.

The constraint lies with buyers, not the seller. AP reports that New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill warned port and terminal operators of heavy penalties if they unload Russian fuel; the OFAC waiver, meanwhile, runs until 7 April. According to the Moscow Times, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee asked banks and port operators to preserve documents; Democrats take over Congress in January. The deal envisaged a first cargo of 300,000 tonnes, rising to 500,000 tonnes in November and 1 million tonnes after that.

The Moscow Times, citing Reuters, reported that Türkiye said on 18 October it was negotiating a share of the Russian diesel. According to Bloomberg HT, diesel prices in Türkiye fell by 5.44 lira a litre on 7 November, to 95.09 lira on Istanbul's European side. A 324,000-barrel cargo is awaiting orders in the Mediterranean after failing to find a US buyer. That raises the chance that Russian product heads to nearby markets at a discount; this is a Talay inference and has not been verified.