US authorities have stopped a tanker with a Russian-sourced cargo, in a signal that President Joe Biden is enforcing the oil embargo following the invasion of Ukraine, according to a media report.
The 115,700-dwt Daytona (built 2011), part of TMS Tankers’ fleet, was stopped after arriving in Louisiana from Russia, according to The Wall Street Journal.
AIS tracking showed the ship was anchored at New Orleans on Wednesday while reportedly undergoing checks by Customs & Border Protection.
The newspaper said the Daytona was chartered by Switzerland-based commodity trading house Vitol and sailed from Russia’s Taman peninsula in the Black Sea in early June.
It was due to arrive in New Orleans on Sunday, but authorities stopped it from discharging its cargo of fuel oil and vacuum gasoil, according to The Wall Street Journal, which cited data-tracking platform Kpler as saying the cargo was labelled as of Russian origin.
Vitol did not respond to a request for comment but told the paper that it “operates its business in full compliance with all relevant laws and regulations, including sanctions”.
The US banned oil, gas and coal imports from Russia in May after President Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine. The European Union is imposing an import ban on Russian oil that comes by sea but has delayed the measure until the end of the year.
Leaders of the G7 group of developed economies agreed on Tuesday to explore ways of capping Russian income from oil sales but avoided setting out key details of how any scheme would work. India and China have taken advantage by buying more Russian oil at a knock-down rate.
TMS Tankers and Customs & Border Protection have been approached for comment.
