US lifts sanctions on Greek shipping firms

(Reuters) – The United States on Thursday lifted sanctions on Marshall Islands-based Delos Voyager Shipping Ltd and Greece-based Romina Maritime Co Inc that had been imposed last month over accusations the companies operated in the Venezuelan oil sector. The US Treasury Department’s action lifted Venezuela-related sanctions on four companies, including Marshall Islands-based Adamant Maritime Ltd and Sanibel Shiptrade Ltd, as well as on four vessels. The move, which follows the delisting last month of other Greece- and Marshall Islands-based shipping firms, removed the remaining Greece-based companies blacklisted in June for transporting Venezuelan oil from the US Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) Specially Designated Nationals list. US officials met representatives of Greece-based shipping companies earlier this week to discuss Venezuela-related sanctions, which have ramped up since early June, according to two sources familiar with the talks. The vessels removed from the US blacklist on Thursday are the Seahero, Voyager I, Delos Voyager and Euroforce crude oil tankers, all of which were linked to shipping companies delisted on Thursday.