Iranian supertanker sought by US turns off tracking beacon

[corbe]

Iranian supertanker sought by US turns off tracking beacon

By John Bowden - 09/03/19 09:38 AM EDT 
 

© Getty Images

An Iranian oil tanker that eluded a U.S. attempt to seize its cargo and crew for evading sanctions on Iran's Revolutionary Guard turned off its electronic ship tracking system off the coast of Cyprus.

The Associated Press reported that the Adrian Darya, a supertanker carrying about $130 million worth of crude oil, turned off its tracker somewhere near Cyprus in the Mediterranean Sea, a practice reportedly common with ships bound for ports controlled by Syria's government, which also is sanctioned under international law.

U.S. officials attempted to organize the seizure and holding of the Adrian Darya and its crew last month in Gibraltar, alleging that the ship was carrying cargo that, when offloaded, would financially benefit Iran's Revolutionary Guard, which the Trump administration designated a terrorist group.

<..snip..>

https://thehill.com/policy/defense/459692-iranian-supertanker-sought-by-us-turns-off-tracking-beacon

[thackney]

more info:

Treasury Targets Oil Tanker Adrian Darya 1 and its Captain
https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sm765
August 30, 2019

The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) took action today against Adrian Darya 1, an oil tanker transporting 2.1 million barrels of Iranian crude oil ultimately benefitting Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF).  The Adrian Darya 1 is being identified as blocked property pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13224, which targets terrorists and those providing support to terrorism or acts of terrorism.  As part of today’s action, the Adrian Darya 1’s captain, Akhilesh Kumar, is also designated pursuant to E.O. 13224.

“Vessels like the Adrian Darya 1 enable the IRGC-QF to ship and transfer large volumes of oil, which they attempt to mask and sell illicitly to fund the regime’s malign activities and propagate terrorism,” said Sigal Mandelker, Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence. “Anyone providing support to the Adrian Darya 1 risks being sanctioned.  The path to relief is to change course and not allow the IRGC-QF to profit from illicit oil sales.”

The IRGC-QF’s highest-ranking officials have long overseen the export of Iranian oil, often masking its origin and sending it to the Syrian regime or IRGC-QF proxies across the region.   

The IRGC-QF, designated pursuant to E.O. 13224 on October 25, 2007, is responsible for external operations and has provided material support to numerous terrorist groups, including the Taliban, Hizballah, HAMAS, and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, making it a key component of Iran’s destabilizing regional activities.  The IRGC-QF’s parent organization, the IRGC, was designated pursuant to E.O. 13224 on October 13, 2017, and on April 15, 2019, was designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the Secretary of State....

[thackney]

And:

Why the Adrian Darya 1 saga is an issue for the whole industry
https://lloydslist.maritimeintelligence.informa.com/LL1129024/Why-the-Adrian-Darya-1-saga-is-an-issue-for-the-whole-industry

...WHEN Gibraltar released the oil tanker Grace 1 last month, it did so with the explicit written assurance from Iran that its cargo of 2.1m barrels of Iranian crude would not end up in Syria.

Fabian Picardo, Gibraltar’s chief minister, even went so far as to hail the detention and subsequent release “a success” on the basis that Gibraltar’s actions had “deprived the Assad regime of circa $140m”.

The fact that Adrian Darya 1, as it is now renamed, is currently skirting the Syrian coast with its AIS offline, awaiting what the US intelligence services expect to be an imminent ship-to-ship transfer, which will ultimately see its cargo end up in Syria, is politically embarrassing for almost everyone except Iran.

It is not, however, an anomalous trade limited to Iranian crude seeking a buyer amid tightened US sanctions. Nor is it an episode that can be written off by the wider shipping industry as an issue for the intelligence services to worry about....

...Such is the concern from shipping companies wishing to avoid inadvertently falling foul of US scrutiny via unverified third-party providers, that several security companies approached by Lloyd’s List have confirmed that clients are now regularly asking for satellite verification of potential charterers and suppliers to verify trade details and voyage history before contracts are signed....

[thackney]

Iranian oil tanker nears coast of Syria as captain refuses to cooperate with delivery, sources say
https://www.foxnews.com/world/iran-oil-tanker-syria-coast-captain-refuses-to-cooperate

The Adrian Darya 1, the Iranian oil tanker that the U.S. has pursued for several days, is now fewer than 10 nautical miles from the shores of Syria, intelligence sources tell Fox News.

The captain of the vessel, Akhilesh Kumar, has been refusing to cooperate with a planned oil delivery and has asked to be dismissed or replaced, the sources added.


The ship, formerly known as the Grace 1, turned off its tracking systems as it sailed toward Syria on Monday afternoon.

By entering Syrian waters, the vessel was defying a commitment to the United Kingdom that allowed its release after it was detained in the Strait of Gibraltar....

[IsailedawayfromFR]

Iranian oil tanker nears coast of Syria as captain refuses to cooperate with delivery, sources say
https://www.foxnews.com/world/iran-oil-tanker-syria-coast-captain-refuses-to-cooperate

The Adrian Darya 1, the Iranian oil tanker that the U.S. has pursued for several days, is now fewer than 10 nautical miles from the shores of Syria, intelligence sources tell Fox News.

The captain of the vessel, Akhilesh Kumar, has been refusing to cooperate with a planned oil delivery and has asked to be dismissed or replaced, the sources added.


The ship, formerly known as the Grace 1, turned off its tracking systems as it sailed toward Syria on Monday afternoon.

By entering Syrian waters, the vessel was defying a commitment to the United Kingdom that allowed its release after it was detained in the Strait of Gibraltar....

Appears the payoff effort by the US is working.

US offering cash rewards to tanker captains of Iranian ships: FT
http://www.gopbriefingroom.com/index.php/topic,374396.0.html

[corbe]

   I find it incredibly hard to believe with our Satellite Technology today we don't know exactly where this ship is AND could take it out at any moment in time.


Dave Matthews Band - Satellite


Error 404 (Not Found)!!1

[Cyber Liberty]

We should sink it as it's headed into a Syrian port.  Let them buy the 100,000 bottles of Dawn to clean up the oil slick.

[corbe]

   

      Daddy's little pumpkin would tell you that your plan is not feasible.

[Cyber Liberty]

   

      Daddy's little pumpkin would tell you that your plan is not feasible.

No, I suppose not....

[TomSea]

Appears the payoff effort by the US is working.

US offering cash rewards to tanker captains of Iranian ships: FT
http://www.gopbriefingroom.com/index.php/topic,374396.0.html

I saw once source say we offered $15 million. I"m sure skeptical. All of that certainly seems like a lot of money, too much.

[thackney]

I saw once source say we offered $15 million. I"m sure skeptical. All of that certainly seems like a lot of money, too much.

15 to seize 130?  Still seems like a good deal.