By Marianna Parraga and Elida Moreno PANAMA CITY, July 12 (Reuters) - Panama will withdraw its flag from more vessels that violate sanctions and international legislation, the country's maritime authority told Reuters, following the removal of about 60 ships linked to Iran and Syria from the Panamanian registry in recent months. After the re-imposition of sanctions on … [Read more...]
Britain Says it Fended Off Iranian Attempt to Block Tanker in Strait of Hormuz
By William Schomberg LONDON, July 11 (Reuters) - Three Iranian vessels tried to block a British-owned tanker passing through the Strait of Hormuz, but backed off when confronted by a Royal Navy warship, Britain said on Thursday. Exactly a week after Britain seized an Iranian tanker accused of violating sanctions on Syria, London said the British Heritage tanker operated … [Read more...]
Seized Supertanker ‘Grace 1’ at Full Capacity with Crude, Gibraltar Says
LONDON, July 8 (Reuters) - Tests have shown a supertanker seized in Gibraltar last week was fully loaded with crude oil, the government of the British territory said on Monday. British Royal Marines boarded the ship, Grace 1, off the coast of Gibraltar on Thursday and seized it for trying to take oil to Syria in violation of European Union sanctions. "Her Majesty's … [Read more...]
BP Tanker Shelters in Persian Gulf Over Fear of Iran Retaliation
By Kelly Gilblom and Serene Cheong (Bloomberg) --An oil tanker run by BP Plc is being kept inside the Persian Gulf in fear it could be seized by Iran in a tit-for-tat response to the arrest by Gibraltar last week of a vessel hauling the Islamic Republic’s crude. The British Heritage, able to haul about 1 million barrels of oil, was sailing toward Iraq’s Basrah terminal in … [Read more...]
Going Dark and Faking Voyages: These are the Tricks Ships Use to Avoid Sanctions
(Bloomberg) -- As the U.S. looks to enforce sanctions aimed at halting trade with states such as Iran and Venezuela, there’s increased scrutiny on the tricks being used to keep commodities flowing to and from blacklisted countries. Ships vanishing from tracking screens, clandestine transfers on the high seas and fake destinations are among some of the tactics used to hide … [Read more...]