Record Russian Diesel Roams at Sea as Ban Forces Hunt for Buyers

A record amount of Russian diesel is afloat on the sea as European Union sanctions force the nation’s cargoes to find new buyers.

Some 24 million barrels of Russian diesel-type fuel is being held in vessels’ storage tanks, the most in Kpler data that dates back to 2016. For the first time in at least seven years, the single most popular destination for the cargoes is “unknown.”

The EU’s recent ban on seaborne imports of Russian diesel is redrawing global trade routes and driving the country’s cargoes further afield. Barrels from the Baltic, many of which typically only travel as ...