Authorities detain tanker thought to have Iranian oil
LONDON — Authorities in Gibraltar on Thursday detained a supertanker Thursday they said was carrying crude oil to Syria, in violation of European Union sanctions against Syria.
Shipping experts said the tanker, the Grace 1, appeared to be carrying Iranian cargo in an apparent attempt to circumvent U.S. sanctions imposed by President Trump to choke off Iran’s exports of oil and petrochemical products.
Companies that monitor international shipping say the vessel turned off its electronic tracking devices as it sailed into Iranian waters, then turned them on again after leaving — a tactic often used to evade the sanctions, though ships can still be followed through satellite photography.
The government of Gibraltar, a British territory, declined to comment on the cargo’s origin, but addressed its destination.
“We have reason to believe that the Grace 1 was carrying its shipment of crude oil to the Banyas Refinery in Syria,” Fabian Picardo, chief minister of Gibraltar, said in a statement. “That refinery is the property of an entity that is subject to European Union sanctions against Syria.”
Spain’s acting foreign minister, Josep Borrell, told Spanish news media that the oil tanker had been seized following “a request from the United States to the United Kingdom.”
Borrell, who is set to take over as the EU’s foreign policy chief, said the Spanish government had been kept informed about the seizure and would study whether it violated its territorial water claims. Spain does not recognize Britain’s sovereignty over Gibraltar, which dates to a 1713 treaty.
Samir Madani, a cofounder of TankerTrackers.com, which follows maritime traffic using satellite data, said the ship was anchored near the Iranian oil terminal at Kharg Island in the Persian Gulf in midApril. Later, he said, it sat deep in the water, indicating that it was carrying oil from Iran.