US senator urges shipping companies to turn back tankers carrying Russian diesel
Photo: Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal (RBC-Ukraine, Vitalii Nosach)
US Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal has urged shipping companies to turn back vessels carrying Russian diesel. He said the shipments are illegal in his post on X.
Blumenthal urges shipping companies to act
The senator said his message was directed at shipping companies whose tankers are transporting illegal Russian diesel fuel to US ports.
"Reverse course while there’s still time," he said.
Blumenthal stated that the Agioi Fanendes tanker was carrying nearly 40,000 tons of Russian diesel fuel to the United States and urged the shipping company to turn the vessel around.
The senator published a letter addressed to Athanasios Martinos, managing director of the Greek company Eastern Mediterranean Maritime Limited (EASTMED).
According to Blumenthal, the Malta-flagged tanker departed from a Russian port on October 22. As of October 24, the vessel's declared destination was the Port of New York and New Jersey, with arrival expected on November 7.
Blumenthal demanded that EASTMED identify the following by October 31:
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The seller.
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The buyer.
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The charterer.
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The insurer.
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The terminal operator.
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The party responsible for the fuel's onward distribution.
The senator also asked whether the company had received any instructions from the US Department of the Treasury or other federal agencies.
Legal grounds
Blumenthal argues that unloading Russian diesel fuel in the United States would violate US law. He cited the Ending Importation of Russian Oil Act, passed in 2022.
The law prohibits imports of Russian products into the United States, including diesel fuel.
The senator also referred to General License No. 135, issued by the US Department of the Treasury, concerning transactions involving the export of Russian diesel. He said the license could not override the statutory ban.
"The President may have given a license to facilitate this transaction, but only Congress can make it legally valid," the letter stated.
Blumenthal is urging shipping companies transporting Russian diesel to US ports to turn their vessels around, arguing that no license would exempt them from legal and moral responsibility.
"If you deliver diesel, you’ll be violating a very explicit statute passed in 2022 forbidding imports of Russian fuel. No President can unilaterally override a statute," the senator said.
Earlier, it was reported that Democrats are preparing the groundwork for an investigation into the US-Russia diesel deal. Bank and port administrations have received letters demanding information.
