Two Russian diesel tankers bound for the US veer off course

Two tankers hauling Russian diesel toward the United States have peeled off course, the Financial Times reported Wednesday, a fresh sign that buyers are getting cold feet. One is a Russian vessel called Talisman, which slipped out of the Atlantic and into the Mediterranean. It's now parked off the coast of Algeria, signaling for orders, meaning nobody has told it where to go next.

The other, Leruo, flipped its signal to Brazil. The tanker is Hong Kong-owned and sails under the flag of Sierra Leone, according to the report.

Not everyone has bailed. The Greek-owned Agioi Fanendes is still steaming toward its original destination, New York, where it's expected to dock over the weekend.

But Kpler analyst Matt Smith isn't betting on a clean arrival. He told the Financial Times that the hesitancy from US buyers — driven by regulatory, legislative and sanction issues — makes it entirely plausible the Agioi Fanendes turns away from the US too.

For now, the picture is two diverting cargoes, one still committed and a market watching to see whether that last holdout follows the others.

Paparazzi will update this story as the ships' signals change.