New Jersey warns ports over Russian diesel tanker

The Malta-flagged tanker Agioi Fanendes took on roughly 40,000 metric tons of Russian diesel at Primorsk on October 22. On November 2, New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill sent letters to port operators, terminal managers, and intermediaries along the state's coast telling them plainly not to accept the cargo.

Her argument was legal: the 2022 Ending Importation of Russian Oil Act, she said, bars Russian fuel imports and makes anyone who handles them liable for federal customs penalties that could equal the full value of the cargo. She wrote directly: "do not help bring illegal Russian diesel into New Jersey."

Of the three tankers previously reported as potentially bound for the US East Coast, Agioi Fanendes is now the only one still on course. The other two changed destination. The tanker's AIS reads "for orders" and an initial November 7 arrival estimate for New York remains unconfirmed.

The legal picture is disputed. On October 9, the Treasury Department issued OFAC General License 135, authorizing certain transactions involving Russian-origin diesel through April 7, 2027. Treasury says the license complies with applicable law. Sherrill says it does not override the 2022 act. No court has ruled on the question.

Congressional pressure on the banks and traders involved has been building from both parties. The Minerva Zen, a Greek-flagged tanker tracked toward the US East Coast in mid-October with roughly 280,000 barrels of Russian diesel, arrived before that pressure reached the state-government level.