Ships Fleeing The Red Sea Now Face Perilous African Weather
By Alex Longley and Paul Burkhardt (Bloomberg) –Ships sailing around the southern tip of Africa are wrestling with a bout of bad weather that has already run one vessel aground and...
The Liberian-flagged oil tanker Ice Energy transfers crude oil from the Iranian-flagged oil tanker Lana (former Pegas), off the shore of Karystos, on the Island of Evia, Greece, May 26, 2022. REUTERS/Costas Baltas
ATHENS, July 27 (Reuters) – An Iranian-flagged tanker anchored off Piraeus port is expected this week to retrieve part of its cargo which was confiscated by the United States and sail back to Iran, following a Greek top court ruling, government sources said on Wednesday.
The case has strained relations between Athens and Tehran amid growing tensions between Iran and the United States.
The removal of oil from the Lana, formerly Pegas, prompted Iranian forces to seize two Greek tankers in the Middle East Gulf which have not yet been released.
“The (Greek) Supreme Court’s ruling… is in Iran’s favour,” a Greek government official said, asking not to be named due to the sensitivity of the issue. The official said the ruling, which has not been made public, had come to the government’s knowledge on Tuesday.
Another official confirmed the ruling. A government spokesperson said the government would not comment on court decisions.
For over two months the Iranian-flagged Lana remained under arrest off the Greek island of Evia, near the town of Karystos.
Greek authorities approved its release earlier this month, after a judicial panel ruled in favour of an Iranian company, overturning a previous court order, and the vessel which had engine problems was tugged to Piraeus.
Greek media reported that the United States challenged that decision bringing the case before Greece’s Supreme Court.
The U.S. Department of Justice declined to comment.
“In the past year, Iran’s hydrocarbon sales have been reinvigorated by lax enforcement. That must stop,” Mark Wallace, a former U.S. ambassador to the U.N., told Reuters.
“The U.S. must continue to enforce sanctions and our allies must join us in this effort,” said Wallace, who is now chief executive of advocacy group United Against Nuclear Iran, which monitors Iran-related tanker traffic.
Part of the ship’s Iranian oil cargo had been transferred to another ship, Ice Energy, which was hired by the United States and is also moored off Piraeus port.
“Lana is expected to get fuel later today and test its engine so that it can start the oil transfer at the end of the week and sail off,” the first Greek official told Reuters.
(Reporting by Angeliki Koutantou, Lefteris Papadimas, Jonathan Saul, Arshad Mohammed and Timothy Gardner; Editing by Frank Jack Daniel)
(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2022.Join the gCaptain Club for curated content, insider opinions, and vibrant community discussions.
Join the 107,128 members that receive our newsletter.
Have a news tip? Let us know.
Access exclusive insights, engage in vibrant discussions, and gain perspectives from our CEO.
Sign UpMaritime and offshore news trusted by our 107,128 members delivered daily straight to your inbox.
Essential news coupled with the finest maritime content sourced from across the globe.
Sign Up