Russian diesel cargoes are returning to their main previous customers following the US-brokered lifting of Moscow’s export ban, with at least two tankers signaling voyages to Turkey and Brazil in recent days, Reuters reported.
Tankers Head to Turkey and Brazil as Ban Lifts
Turkey and Brazil have remained the two largest buyers of Russian diesel since 2023, following Western sanctions in response to Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine that redrew Russia’s oil export lines. Shipping data from Kpler and LSEG shows that the tanker Leruo is signaling Manaus, Brazil, as its destination after departing from Russia’s Baltic port of Primorsk on October 16. That voyage follows the tanker Dolunay, which left Primorsk with a diesel cargo on October 14 and is heading for Alanya, Turkey. Kpler data indicates that Turkey has received approximately 34% of Russian diesel loadings so far this year at 95,000 barrels per day, while Brazil has received 24% at 66,000 barrels per day. Russia, which is usually the world’s second-largest exporter of diesel after the United States, had already reduced its exports in the summer before imposing an overseas supply ban as it grappled with widespread Ukrainian attacks on its oil refineries. Russia partially lifted that diesel export ban starting October 10 following the arrangement brokered with Washington.
Global Markets Absorb New Shipments Amid Divergent Regional Pressures
A tanker carrying approximately 40,000 tonnes of ultra-low-sulphur diesel headed toward Morocco after loading at Primorsk on October 13, with LSEG shipping data identifying the cargo on October 14 and Moroccan publications reporting it the following day. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov addressed the broader market effects, stating, The diesel has started reaching global markets and is expected to have a positive effect on stabilising oil markets, although it will not be enough to fully stabilize them,
as quoted by Reuters. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump announced the controversial oil supply deal with Moscow to lower fuel prices ahead of the crucial November 3 midterm elections, reacting to public discontent over rising pump prices since the start of the joint US-Israeli war against Iran. Russian Deputy Prime Minister for Energy Alexander Novak stated in an interview with state-run media outlet Vesti that the parties are still negotiating commercial terms, explaining, Negotiations are currently under way regarding the commercial terms — that is, on finalisation of the contracts,
and adding that Once the contracts are signed, the fuel will reach the markets — in this case, the US markets — within 15 to 20 days.
However, experts estimate the initial agreement covering 2.22 million barrels in total will fall short of significantly changing American consumer spending, given that the US consumes about 3.9 million barrels of diesel per day. Simultaneously, on October 15, the International Energy Agency agreed to accelerate emergency stock releases, including more than 20 million barrels of diesel, to address wider supply pressures.
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