Sherrill Puts NJ Ports on Notice: Turn Away Russian Diesel Tankers or Face Penalties That Could Outlast Trump
Gov. Mikie Sherrill warned terminal operators in a Monday letter that unloading Russian fuel could bring civil and criminal liability, as at least one tanker may be bound for the Jersey coast.
TRENTON, N.J. – Gov. Mikie Sherrill told New Jersey’s port and terminal operators Monday that handling Russian diesel could expose them to civil and criminal penalties, escalating her standoff with the Trump administration over its fuel deal with Moscow. Sherrill said that union workers at those ports could be charged and jailed if they disobey her order.
In a letter dated Nov. 2, Sherrill urged operators to turn away any tanker that seeks to use their facilities to move Russian fuel. She said the state will use “every available legal and regulatory tool” to keep its ports from being exploited. The New Jersey governor, a Democrat, also posted about the letter on X.
Tanker Heading Toward the Port
Sen. Richard Blumenthal said the tanker Agioi Fanendes left Russia on Oct. 22, bound for the Port of New York and New Jersey, with an expected arrival date of Nov. 7. The Malta-flagged vessel carries about 40,000 metric tons of diesel. Sherrill’s letter says Russia has sent multiple diesel tankers toward the United States, including at least one that may be headed for the New Jersey coast.
Sherrill said last week she was weighing ways to keep the cargo out. The new letter follows the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control issuing General License No. 135. That license temporarily authorizes certain Russian diesel transactions through April 7, 2027.
Governor Says Federal Law Is Clear
Sherrill argues the license runs into the 2022 Ending Importation of Russian Oil Act, which bans Russian energy products covered by chapter 27 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule, including diesel. She says the law lets the ban be lifted only if the president certifies that, among other things, Russia has agreed to withdraw its forces from Ukraine. In her view, no such certification has been made.
She also argues the license cannot take effect until Congress completes a review process that she says has not begun.
The letter warns that anyone who takes part in an illegal importation could be liable for a penalty equal to the value of the goods. The statute of limitations is five years, so Sherrill told operators they could face millions of dollars in penalties long after the current administration leaves office.
Treasury has maintained that the arrangement is legal. The White House has defended it as necessary to ease energy costs amid market disruptions caused by the war with Iran. The dispute has drawn other officials as well. A bipartisan group of lawmakers urged U.S. banks and port authorities in Texas and New York to avoid facilitating Russian diesel imports, and Blumenthal has demanded that the shipping company behind the Agioi Fanendes recall the vessel.
Sherrill also tied the fight to the war with Iran. Her letter calls Russia a known supplier and financial backer of Iran and says buying its oil helps fund a country engaged in hostilities with the United States.
“As a Navy veteran, I cannot let that stand unchallenged,” Sherrill wrote on X. “Our ports must not be complicit.”
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