Giurgiulesti Port Involved in Russian Diesel Fuel Supplies to Ukraine

The Ukrainian Security Service compiled a list of 32 ports and terminals supplying Russian diesel fuel to Ukraine. The list also includes the Giurgiulesti International Free Port belonging to the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. The Enkorr outlet reports that a source in the Ukrainian Customs Service mentioned a list of 32 ports, terminals and warehouses involved in the Russian-made diesel fuel supply to Ukraine. The list includes ports and terminals allegedly engaged in transporting diesel fuel from Russia. The source claims that this list is slightly different from the one published at the end of September 2023. “But this list is final and inspections have already started,” the source quoted by Enkorr says. The list released by Enkorr includes 16 ports, terminals and warehouses from Turkey, nine ports and terminals from Bulgaria, two ports each from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates and one port each from Algeria, India and the Republic of Moldova. However, ports of Libya, Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia are missing from the list. In the case of the Republic of Moldova, this is the Giurgiulesti International Free Port and, in particular, the oil terminal owned and operated by Danube Logistics SRL, the company currently controlled by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. According to Enkorr, fuel market operators in Ukraine say that from October 5, 2023 it is impossible to clear diesel fuel exported into the neighboring country, particularly from the oil terminal in Giurgiulesti, as well as from some Bulgarian oil depots. At the same time, the Ukrainian Security Service continues to investigate other ways for Russian oil products to enter Ukraine and may add new ports to the suspicious terminals list. Ukraine’s decision has already caused problems for some traders who specialized in shipping diesel through the listed ports. Danube Logistics admits diesel transshipment from Russia but claims to stop it. As for Danube Logistics, the company’s management has already announced that it is ceasing commercial activities with oil products of Russian origin. “The company does not accept transshipment and storage of oil products of Russian origin at our terminal,” Ali Aydov, deputy general director of Danube Logistics, said. However, the company does not deny that the terminal has previously accepted cargoes of Russian oil products. “The two exceptions accepted this year refer to an individual case in order to avoid significant financial losses for the customer, due to which the fuel was isolated and delivered exclusively on the territory of the Republic of Moldova. No other exceptions are allowed,” Danube Logistics said in an official letter cited by Enkorr. On the other hand, data from ship tracking services show that the tanker Malik Aliyev arrived in Giurgiulesti in June with 3,300 tons of diesel fuel delivered from Russia’s Taganrog. Also on 12 September, the vessel General Polad Gashimov, which left Taganrog earlier this month, anchored. Earlier Enkorr reported that two batches of diesel fuel from Turkish Mersin had arrived in Giurgiulesti in August. Diesel and petrol supplies from Turkish ports to Ukraine have stopped since the beginning of August. At the same time, supplies of oil products from Turkey to Moldova are increasing, Enkorr says. According to the A-95 consulting group, over the past two months the port of Giurgiulesti received at least five vessels with diesel fuel shipped from terminals in Turkey’s Mersin.