Dear Dr. Vis,

I am new to the industry and my job has assigned me to source new suppliers of D2. I've been looking around and seeing that d2s are being shipped only from Rotterdam and Houston. Please kindly explain the process to me given that they supposedly originate from Russia.

thanks in advance,
arize

D2 typically refers (but not always) to gasoil of Russian origin. It can be shipped from its refinery of origin or through transhipment hubs such as Rotterdam, Houston, Singapore and others.
D2 is not a term used by many players in cargo markets, preferring to use the specific standard (such as ASTM) or No.2 diesel or gasoil. This is because the volume of Russian exports is quite small on a world scale: 45 million tonnes in 2008.
For more information, see this introductory paper:
http://www.bunkerworld.com/store/learn/d2intro