Page 12 - DMEA Week 35

DMEA POLICY DMEA

UAE, UK, Omani firms mount court bid

to retrieve seized Iranian fuel

IRAN THE owners of four Iranian fuel shipments “Therefore, Claimants Mobin, Oman Fuel,
seized from tankers by the US last month have and Sohar Fuel retain a financial stake in those
The companies have mounted a legal challenge to the seizure, accord- agreements and have immediate right to title,
also disputed that the ing to a court filing. possession, and control of the Defendant Prop-
cargoes were bound for The US Justice Department announced erties,” the companies wrote.
Venezuela. the seizure of the fuel, amounting to 1.116mn
barrels, that it claimed was destined for Vene- Destination disputed
zuela, which like Iran is subject to heavy Amer- The companies also disputed the US assertion
ican sanctions. Tehran and Caracas have drawn that the shipments were bound for Venezuela.
Washington’s ire by starting a strategic relation- “At the time they were seized, the Defendant
ship that has involved fuel-laden tankers making Properties were destined for Trinidad for sale to
their way from Iran to Venezuela to alleviate the customers in Peru and Colombia,” the compa-
latter’s gasoline shortages caused by US sanc- nies wrote in the filing.
tions that have hindered the operations of its Venezuela shares a maritime border with
refineries. the Caribbean dual-island nation of Trinidad &
In the September 1 filing with the US District Tobago, and a land border with Colombia.
Court for the District of Columbia, as cited by On August 17, Iran’s Petroleum Minister
Reuters, United Arab Emirates-based Mobin Bijan Namdar Zanganeh confirmed that the fuel
International Limited said it was the owner of seized by the US from the tankers was Iranian
the cargo aboard the Bella and Bering tankers, but added: “The cargoes were loaded from Iran,
UK-registered Oman Fuel said it owned the but neither the ships nor the cargoes belonged
cargo aboard the Pandi and Luna tankers, and to Iran, and the US declared victory for itself in
Oman-registered Sohar Fuel said it part-owned the middle of this. The fuel was Iranian, but it
the cargo aboard the Luna. had been sold to Venezuela and its payment had
The companies added that they had sold the been cleared.”
cargoes onwards to United Arab Emirates-based It’s unclear where the ships were at the time of
Citi Energy FZC, but payment was due upon the seizures because they had all turned off their
delivery, which was disrupted by the mid-ocean satellite-tracking systems to avoid detection,
seizure. according to data compiled by Bloomberg. ™

P12 www. NEWSBASE .com Week 35 03•September•2020