Greece Impounds Russian Tanker Over EU Sanctions Against Moscow

… puis le relâche deux jours plus tard,…

Sanctions Mistake Leads Greece To Release Russian Tanker And Crew
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A Russian tanker impounded by Greece this week and reportedly carrying Iranian oil will be released amid confusion about sanctions on its owners.

“The coast guard has been ordered by the anti-money laundering authority to release the vessel,” a Greek government official said, without providing further details.

On Tuesday, Greek authorities impounded the 115,500-deadweight tonnage Russian-flagged Pegas, with 19 Russian crew members on board, on the southern coast of the island of Evia.

They said the ship was impounded as part of EU sanctions on Russia for the invasion of Ukraine.

Earlier this month, the EU banned Russian-flagged vessels from its ports, with some exemptions, as it adopted new sanctions against Russia for what the Kremlin describes as a “special military operation.”

The Pegas tanker was also among five vessels sanctioned by the United States on Feb. 22, 2022 – two days before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – as part of broader sanctions against Promsvyazbank, a bank Washington described as critical to Russia’s defense sector.

Promsvyazbank said it and its unit PSB Lizing were not the owners of the tanker as it was bought back by its owner in April 2021.

Promsvyazbank did not name the new owner. PSB Lizing said the owner was TransMorFlot. TransMorFlot was not available for comment.

A Greek sources close to the matter said that following checks there were no legal grounds to continue impounding the Pegas as the ship had recently changed ownership and its new owner was not on an EU sanctions list.

IRANIAN OIL SANCTIONS
On Tuesday, U.S. State Department welcomed Greece’s efforts to implement the sanctions “initiated in response to Russia’s brutal, unprovoked invasion of Ukraine” and said it was aware of reports that the tanker was loaded with Iranian crude oil.

Eikon tanker tracking shows the Pegas has been floating around the Mediterranean since September 2021 after loading in the Gulf in August.

Three industry sources said it had Iranian oil on board but struggled to sell it to a customer in Europe, which alongside the United States has a ban on Iranian oil.

U.S. advocacy group United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), which monitors Iran-related tanker traffic, also said the Pegas loaded around 700,000 barrels of crude oil from Iran’s Sirri Island on Aug. 19, 2021.

Prior to this load, the Pegas transported over 3 million barrels of Iranian oil in 2021, with over 2.6 million of those barrels ending up in China, according to UANI analysis.

A Greek coast guard official confirmed it had received the decision made by the anti-money laundering unit, an independent authority, but said the order had not yet been officially served to Pegas.

… finalement, sans que le navire soit effectivement relâché…

… un mois plus tard – entre temps, le navire est passé sous pavillon iranien… – les États-Unis saisissent la cargaison et la transfèrent sur un autre navire…

U.S. Seizes Iranian Oil Cargo Near Greek Island -Sources
▻https://gcaptain.com/u-s-seizes-iranian-oil-cargo-near-greek-island-sources

The United States has confiscated Iranian oil held on a Russian-operated ship near Greece and will send the cargo to the United States aboard another vessel, three sources familiar with the matter said.

It was unclear whether the cargo was impounded because it was Iranian oil or due to the sanctions on the tanker over its Russian nexus. Iran and Russia are facing separate U.S. sanctions.

The Iranian-flagged ship, the Pegas, was among five vessels designated by Washington on Feb. 22 – two days before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – for sanctions against Promsvyazbank, a bank viewed as critical to Russia’s defense sector. 

The vessel’s Russian owner Transmorflot was subsequently designated on May 8. The tanker, renamed Lana on March 1 and flying the Iranian flag since May 1, has remained near Greek waters since then. It was previously Russian-flagged. 

A source at Greece’s shipping ministry said on Thursday that the U.S. Department of Justice had “informed Greece that the cargo on the vessel is Iranian oil.” 

“The cargo has been transferred to another ship that was hired by the U.S.,” the source added, without providing further details.

The United States on Wednesday imposed sanctions on what it described as a Russian-backed oil smuggling and money laundering network for Iran’s Revolutionary Guards’ Quds Force, even as Washington tries to revive a nuclear deal with Iran. 

U.S. and Russian officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The confiscation was confirmed by a separate Western source familiar with the matter, who said the cargo was transferred onto the Liberia-flagged tanker Ice Energy, which is operated by Greek shipping company Dynacom.

A source at Dynacom confirmed that a “transfer of the oil was underway from the vessel to Dynacom’s Ice Energy, which will then sail to the United States.”

Iran’s IRNA state news agency reported on Wednesday that its foreign ministry summoned the charge d’affaires of Greece’s embassy in Tehran following the seizure of the cargo of a ship which was “under the banner of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Greek waters and he was informed of the strong objections” of Iran’s government. 

Greek government officials could not confirm the information.

IRNA quoted Iran’s Ports and Maritime Organization as saying the tanker had sought refuge along Greece’s coast after experiencing technical problems and poor weather, adding that the seizure of its cargo was “a clear example of piracy.”

The Ice Energy on Thursday reported its position as anchored close to the southern Greek island of Evia, ship tracking data on Eikon showed.

… le lendemain, le 27/05/2022, l’Iran saisit deux pétroliers grecs dans le Golfe…

Iran Seizes Two Greek Tankers After U.S. Confiscates Oil Cargo
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Iranian forces seized two Greek tankers in the Gulf on Friday, shortly after Tehran warned it would take “punitive action” against Athens over the confiscation of Iranian oil by the United States from a tanker held off the Greek coast.

“The Revolutionary Guards Navy today seized two Greek tankers for violations in Gulf waters,” said a Guards statement, quoted by Iranian state news agency IRNA. It gave no further details and did not say what the alleged violations were.

Greece’s foreign ministry said an Iranian navy helicopter landed on Greek flagged vessel Delta Poseidon, which was sailing in international waters, 22 nautical miles from the Iranian shore, and took the crew hostage, among them two Greek citizens.

It said a similar incident took place on another Greek-flagged vessel near Iran, without naming the ship, adding both actions violated international law and Greece had informed its allies, as well as complained to Iran’s ambassador in Athens. 

Greece-based Delta Tankers, which operates the Delta Poseidon, could not be immediately reached for comment.

#piraterie :-)

les associations internationale et européenne d’armateurs réclament la sécurité de passage dans le Golfe

Shipping Industry Calls for Safe Passage of Ships in Persian Gulf After Iran Seizes Tankers
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The shipping industry is calling for the safe passage of merchant vessels in the Persian Gulf following the seizure of two Greek-flagged oil tankers by Iran last week.

The two tankers, Delta Poseidon and Prudent Warrior, were seized by Iranian forces in the Persian Gulf last Friday, 27 May 2022, after Iran warned of “punitive action” in response to the confiscation of an Iranian oil cargo by the United States from the Iranian-flagged tanker MT Pegas held off the Greek coast a day earlier. Currently, nearly 50 seafarers are being held on board the two tankers.

The International Chamber of Shipping and the European Community Shipowners’ Association (ECSA) issued a joint statement on Wednesday calling for a “quick and diplomatic resolution” in order for the vessels and crew to be released. Iran has said the crews are not being detained and they remain on board the vessels.

… on a juste repris ce qui nous appartient, Ali Khamenei, Guide suprême de la révolution islamique.

Iran’s Seizure of Oil Tankers Responds to ‘Robbery,’ Leader Says
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Iran’s supreme leader said his country’s seizure of two Greek oil tankers in Persian Gulf waters last month was a direct response to the US and Greece’s “robbery” of Iranian crude.

“Our oil was stolen off the Greek coasts,” Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in a televised speech on Saturday. “We took back what was stolen from us. Who’s the thief?”

Iranian authorities had previously said the ships, carrying about 1 million barrels of oil each, were detained over committing undisclosed “violations”.

The move came two days after Greek authorities, in coordination with US counterparts, stopped an Iranian-flagged tanker and confiscated its cargo on May 25.