Tanker carrying 40,000 tons of Russian diesel stalls en route to U.S., says Kpler

A tanker carrying approximately 40,000 metric tons of Russian diesel has stalled in the North Atlantic before reaching the U.S. East Coast, with its next destination uncertain, international market intelligence provider Kpler said Tuesday.

The tanker AGIOI FANENDES loaded ultra-low sulfur diesel at Russia's Primorsk port on Oct. 23 and initially listed New York as its destination, with an expected arrival date of Nov. 7, Kpler said. However, its Automatic Identification System (AIS) destination was subsequently changed to "FOR ORDERS."

Since Nov. 9, the vessel has remained almost stationary, while its draft has stayed unchanged at 11 meters, suggesting that no cargo has been discharged. Its next movement remains uncertain.

Eastmed, the Greece-based company managing the Malta-flagged tanker, told media on Tuesday that the vessel was still awaiting orders and that its destination had not changed.

British maritime intelligence company Windward said Tuesday that one of two tankers it had assessed with high confidence as carrying Russian diesel to the United States had turned around.

Even if the second tanker continued toward the United States, its cargo was likely not diesel, the company said.

The U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control announced on Oct. 9 that it would ease sanctions on Russian diesel trade over the coming months to alleviate tight domestic diesel supplies and curb fuel prices.

Windward said that despite the issuance of U.S. General License 135, no Russian diesel may ultimately reach the United States.

However, U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Tuesday that Washington was confident the Russian diesel cargo would eventually be sold on the global market, despite the tanker's recent halt.

The planned imports have nevertheless raised legal and regulatory concerns in the United States, with warnings that accepting Russian diesel shipments could violate federal law and expose businesses to potential penalties.

Tanker carrying 40,000 tons of Russian diesel stalls en route to U.S., says Kpler

Tanker carrying 40,000 tons of Russian diesel stalls en route to U.S., says Kpler

Tanker carrying 40,000 tons of Russian diesel stalls en route to U.S., says Kpler

Tanker carrying 40,000 tons of Russian diesel stalls en route to U.S., says Kpler

The United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) and China Global Television Network (CGTN) have hosted a side event on green transition at the 31st meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP31) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in Antalya, Türkiye.

Titled "Global Open Class: Green Transition in Action" and held at the China Pavilion, the event brought together experts for a roundtable discussion on global climate action.

The roundtable explored how technology, leadership and communication can accelerate the green transition, and how China's experience can be adapted to the needs of different countries.

The event featured the release of four practical guides drawing on Chinese sustainable development cases and the launch of two global capacity-development initiatives. The guides addressed smart mobility, rural circular economies, climate adaptation and disaster risk reduction, among other areas.

Participants also watched the trailer for CGTN's new documentary film Path to Zero, which explores how China is changing the way it powers daily life, how its industries operate and how communities care for the places they call home.

He Guojun, director of the Jockey Club Enterprise Sustainability Global Research Institute at the University of Hong Kong (HKU), said that reliable data are essential for effective environmental action.

"First, how to address the information problem, where you need basically a monitoring network that covers almost everything, so that you have air quality monitoring, water quality monitoring, soil quality monitoring, and they have to cover all the sectors. Having that information is fundamental," said He.

Michael Adalla, senior program officer of UNITAR's Division for Prosperity, said the "Global Open Class: Green Transition in Action" side event created a space to share expertise and insights.

"The open classroom that we have done today (Nov 9), the global open classroom, has been very well received as part of sharing of ideas, sharing of expertise, sharing insights. And this is a basis of what we could provide with the developing countries," said Adalla.

Adalla also stressed that a key focus must be human capital.

"It's important to build skills at the individual level, build skills at the capacity level. The most sustainable investment is to empower people to bring knowledge into action," said Adalla.

Special event on green transition held at COP31