https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/i...fuel-8m3n3f5x7
Iran tanker crisis: Greece refuses to let Adrian Darya 1 refuel
An Iranian tanker suspected of transporting oil to Syria has been blocked from refuelling in Greece, prompting fears that its crew may attempt a dangerous sea-to-sea cargo transfer if they cannot dock in north Africa.
The
Adrian Darya 1 was in the middle of the Mediterranean yesterday, 100 nautical miles south of Sardinia and 60 nautical miles north of Algeria, sailing east at around eight knots towards Greece. However, the country has refused sanctuary to the ship, which the United States claims is transporting around £130 million worth in light crude to Syria, in breach of international sanctions. The vessel was previously known as
Grace 1 and was detained by the authorities in Gibraltar last month, prompting a diplomatic crisis. Its
detention order was lifted last week.
Carrying 2.1 million barrels of crude, enough to supply both Britain and France for a day, the ship was expected to arrive in the southern Greek port of Kalamata on Sunday, according to maritime tracking systems. However, local media said that the tanker’s crew had contacted a Greek shipping company for assistance to dock and the request was turned down. Miltiadis Varvitsiotis, Greece’s deputy foreign minister, told the broadcaster ANT1 that his country was “not willing to facilitate the course of this ship to Syria”.
Experts have said that if the tanker cannot dock in Greece, it can either go someplace else, most likely north Africa, or the crew could attempt to transfer the oil to another ship. “That leaves the tanker with limited options,” one shipping expert told
The Times, requesting anonymity because of his knowledge of details of the case.
“It will either have to find a friendly port to dock or bunker offshore. It will have to find a vessel to transfer its cargo, vessel to vessel, in high seas — something which is extremely difficult at present because of bad weather conditions. If all fails, and it runs out of fuel and is left sailing adrift, then it becomes a major safety hazard. It would require immediate international assistance to be towed to the nearest shore. At this point, no one knows what the endgame is for either side.”
Greece controls about a quarter of the global tanker fleet. Its shipping operations used to ferry 37 per cent of Iranian crude worldwide before the US tightened sanctions on Tehran’s exports in April.
Government officials contacted by
The Times said that the tanker had been switching its tracking system “on and off, travelling at a very slow speed”. It has a crew of 29, from India, Russia, Latvia and the Philippines......