Seven oil tankers carrying 288,000 tonnes of Russian diesel sail towards US

Tankers, tracked by Greenpeace, are first phase of Trump-Putin deal – but there is uncertainty over whether they will unload

Seven oil tankers carrying an estimated 288,000 tonnes of Russian diesel are now sailing towards the US, though it is uncertain if the vessels will be able to unload amid a political row about the legality of the shipments.

The transport, tracked by the pressure group Greenpeace, is the first phase of a contentious supply deal negotiated between presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin earlier this month, reversing years of sanctions on Russia oil.

Previous reports had counted three tankers that had departed Russian oil terminals in the Baltic Sea, but using a range of sources, including shipping tracking websites, Greenpeace believes its monitoring exercise is the most complete yet.