Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak has announced that a 40,000-ton diesel tanker to US ports will depart on October 22. Russian suppliers are reportedly finalizing contracts with American partners and stand ready to deliver an urgent 300,000 tons, followed by 500,000 tons in November, and up to 1 million tons in subsequent phases.
According to the Russian announcement, these deliveries are intended to address US fuel needs to the extent feasible, following discussions between the leaders of both nations.
Shipment Volume in Context
Vladyslav Vlasyuk, the Ukrainian president’s advisor on sanctions policy, pointed out that the scheduled volume represents a negligible fraction of the American market:
“40,000 tons of diesel is approximately 300,000 barrels. The United States consumes around 4 million barrels of diesel per day. In other words, this tanker covers just 2 hours of US consumption. The US itself exports 1.5 million barrels of diesel daily, meaning this incoming shipment equals about 4.5 hours of US exports.”
Logistics and Market Comparison
Transporting the fuel from Russia’s Ust-Luga port to US import terminals takes an estimated 2.5 to 3 weeks. Vlasyuk emphasized that by the time the tanker docks, the US will have exported approximately 4 million tons of its own diesel—nearly 100 times the volume of the incoming Russian cargo.
