An Iranian tanker with a Tanzanian
flag was turned away when it sought to refuel at an island offshore
Athens
after its real nationality was
discovered, a Greek fuel supplier said Wednesday, illustrating how Western
sanctions against
Iran
continue to impede the Islamic
Republic's efforts to keep trade flowing.
The incident also highlights how
European companies are at risk of unwittingly breaching sanctions, which bar
the refuelling of Iranian ships, because of constant changes of flags, names
and nominal owners of Iran's tankers amid international pressure.
Yannis Spyridakis, operations
manager at Greek shipping fuel supplier Sekavin SA, said his company had been
asked to refuel a crude-oil tanker on Syros Island, which is located 78
nautical miles (144 kilometers) south-east of Athens. The vessel identified itself
only as having a Tanzanian flag, but Sekavin found out it was owned by the
National Iranian Tanker Co. after conducting some checks, Mr. Spyridakis told
Dow Jones Newswires.
Refuelling the Iranian tanker would
have been illegal under EU sanctions, "that's why we didn't refuel
it," he said.
Vessels "declare their flag
only, they are not obliged to declare their owner" when they dock at a
port, Mr. Spyridakis said. In the case of NITC, "most of their fleet
changed flags in the past months," he said.
The vessel involved, the Baikal, has
switched its registration from one country to another this year to avoid the EU
ban on Iranian oil shipping, moving from Malta to the Pacific island nation of
Tuvalu. Earlier this year, it was barred from the Tuvalu Ship Registry
following U.S. pressure. It now flies a Tanzanian flag, though the East African
nation has previously denied registering it.
NITC officials weren't available for
comment.
European Union bans on shipping and
insuring Iranian oil since July have forced Tehran to increasingly rely on NITC
for its oil shipments, after most international shippers stopped working with
the country. As Brussels seeks to intensify pressure on the Islamic Republic
over its disputed nuclear program, the EU last month barred companies on its
territory from dealing with NITC, which is Iran's main oil tanker operator.