Iranian Tanker Heads to Greece After Leaving Gibraltar
https://www.wsj.com/articles/iranian-tanker-heads-to-greece-after-leaving-gibraltar-11566211250The Iranian tanker released by Gibraltar was sailing to Greece, according to ship-tracking data, as Tehran warned the U.S. against targeting the vessel after a last-minute attempt to seize it in the British overseas territory.
The Adrian Darya 1, previously called the Grace 1, was moving eastward toward Kalamata, Greece on Monday and is expected to arrive there on Sunday, according to shipping tracker MarineTraffic.
A senior Greek merchant marine ministry official said, “We’ve been informed of the ship’s possible call in Kalamata, but it’s not there yet and we don’t know whether or when it will arrive. There have been no instructions by the foreign ministry or any other government authority to hold the tanker or take any other action so far.â€
A local shipping-services provider, who declined to be named because of the sensitivity of the matter, said the vessel planned to get fresh supplies and a new crew while in Kalamata.
The shipping-services provider, who was approached by a broker representing the Adrian Darya 1’s owner, said the vessel was seeking options to also unload its cargo to another vessel offshore Kalamata. He said local authorities had warned local agents to check the final destination of the crude oil to comply with European Union sanctions against Syria.
The tanker left Gibraltar’s waters around 11 p.m. local time Sunday after the territory’s Justice Ministry rejected a warrant from the U.S. Justice Department seeking its seizure for alleged violations of American sanctions. Gibraltar officials said the territory follows the European Union’s laws, not the U.S.’s.....
