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Showing posts with label Oil Smuggling. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Oil Smuggling. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 01, 2021
Sunday, July 19, 2020
Fun with Iran: Allegedly "Hijacked" Tanker Ends Up in Iran Under Suspicious Circumstances
AP report UN agency: US-sought tanker 'hijacked' off UAE now in Iran
“The vessel was taken to Iran,” the ILO said.
***
Iranian state media and officials have not acknowledged the hijacking and arrival of the MT Gulf Sky to Iran. The U.S. government similarly has not commented.
In May, the U.S. Justice Department filed criminal charges against two Iranians, accusing them of trying to launder some $12 million to purchase the tanker, then named the MT Nautica, through a series of front companies.
Court documents allege the smuggling scheme involved the Quds Force of Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, which is its elite expeditionary unit, as well as Iran’s national oil and tanker companies. The two men charged, one of whom also has an Iraqi passport, remain at large.
A U.S. bank froze funds associated with the sale, causing the seller to launch a lawsuit in the UAE to repossess the vessel, the Justice Department earlier said. That civil action was believed to still be pending, raising questions of how the tanker sailed away from the Emirates after being seized by authorities there.
A United Nations agency acknowledged Sunday that a U.S.-sought oil tanker “hijacked” off the coast of the United Arab Emirates after allegedly smuggling Iranian crude oil is back in Iranian waters.The International Labor Organization said that the MT Gulf Sky was hijacked July 5, citing its captain. That mirrors earlier reporting by The Associated Press.
Gulf Sky fka Nautica Source: VesselFinder.com
“The vessel was taken to Iran,” the ILO said.
***
Iranian state media and officials have not acknowledged the hijacking and arrival of the MT Gulf Sky to Iran. The U.S. government similarly has not commented.
In May, the U.S. Justice Department filed criminal charges against two Iranians, accusing them of trying to launder some $12 million to purchase the tanker, then named the MT Nautica, through a series of front companies.
Court documents allege the smuggling scheme involved the Quds Force of Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, which is its elite expeditionary unit, as well as Iran’s national oil and tanker companies. The two men charged, one of whom also has an Iraqi passport, remain at large.
A U.S. bank froze funds associated with the sale, causing the seller to launch a lawsuit in the UAE to repossess the vessel, the Justice Department earlier said. That civil action was believed to still be pending, raising questions of how the tanker sailed away from the Emirates after being seized by authorities there.
Monday, September 24, 2018
U.S. Navy Office of Naval Intelligence Worldwide Threat to Shipping (WTS) Report 20 August - 19 September 2018 and HORN OF AFRICA/GULF OF GUINEA/ SOUTHEAST ASIA: Piracy Analysis and Warning Weekly (PAWW) Report for 13 - 19 September 2018
Been on vacation but you can catch up by reading the following:
U.S. Navy Office of Naval Intelligence Worldwide Threat to Shipping (WTS) Report 20 August - 19 September 2... by lawofsea on Scribd
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