On october 10, Russian Market, an X account with pro-Russia views, posted that Russian diesel had begun shipping to the US, less than one day after president Donald Trump announced an agreement with his counterpart Vladimir Putin to supply millions of tons of diesel.

"The Minerva Zen is carrying 280,000 barrels of oil after loading in Saint Petersburg on 22/9. The timing of the operation indicates Washington and Moscow reached an agreement weeks before Mr. Trump made the announcement," the account wrote.

The Minerva Zen in the Netherlands in september. *ShipSpotting*.

The post included a map of the ship's route, showing its destination as New York city in the US. The information quickly spread, attracting over 570,000 views on X social media.

However, French television channel France 24 confirmed that the Minerva Zen was not carrying diesel from Russia to the US.

"The Minerva Zen is an oil and chemical tanker, designed to flexibly transport petroleum products and liquid chemicals in bulk, not in barrels. It departed the port of Saint Petersburg on 23/9 and arrived at Wilmington port, North Carolina, US, in the early hours of 12/10," the France 24 research team stated.

Data from the commercial tanker tracking platform TankerTrackers showed the Minerva Zen was carrying fertilizer, specifically urea ammonium nitrate (UAN) solution.

A TankerTrackers representative stated that Russian crude oil, fuel, liquefied natural gas (LNG), and similar products are prohibited from import into the US due to sanctions imposed after the Ukraine conflict began, but fertilizer remains permissible for import.

Vortexa, a company specializing in economic intelligence data, also confirmed this.

Fertilizer from Russia was previously imported into the US via Wilmington port in june. That shipment was delivered to Eurochem North America, a company specializing in fertilizer production. According to TankerTrackers, the cargo that arrived on 12/10 was also transported to this company.

Based on data collected from the marine tracking platform MarineTraffic, the Minerva Zen discharged its cargo at the "NSCPA" terminal located north of Wilmington port. This area specializes in receiving agricultural products, chemicals, and containerized goods.

Minerva Marine, the company owning the Minerva Zen, announced to local television station Wwaytv3 on 11/10 that the ship was transporting urea ammonium nitrate, not diesel.

Hoang Lan (According to France 24, Wwaytv3)