PARIS: A tanker carrying Russian diesel is en route to New York after US President Donald Trump announced a deal with Moscow in early October, according to data from the maritime tracking firm Kpler.
The tanker Agioi Fanendes, sailing under the Maltese flag, was located off Helsinki on Friday and indicated "New York" as its destination via its AIS transponder signal.
It loaded nearly 300,000 barrels of diesel at the Russian oil terminal of Primorsk, according to Kpler.
It left Primorsk on the night of Oct 22 to 23 and is expected to arrive on the US East Coast around Nov 7.
On Wednesday, Russian news agencies cited Russian Deputy Prime Minister for Energy Alexander Novak saying the first shipment of Russian diesel bound for the United States would depart the following day.
In early October, Trump announced an agreement between Washington and Moscow for the delivery of Russian diesel to the US market, in the process lifting sanctions against Russia.
The measure was seen as an attempt to lower fuel prices for American consumers ahead of the US midterm legislative elections on Nov 3 and drew sharp criticism from Ukraine and its allies, and even from within Trump's Republican Party.