Peloponnese Peninsula News

At least four Chinese-owned supertankers are shipping Russian Urals crude to China, according to trading sources and tracking data, as Moscow seeks vessels for exports after a G7 oil price cap restricted the use of Western cargo services and insurance.China, the world's top oil importer, has continued buying Russian oil despite Western sanctions, after Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping launched what they called a no-limit partnership before the war in Ukraine.The sources said a fifth supertanker…

Iran's Ports and Maritime Organization (PMO) said on Tuesday the Iranian-flagged Lana tanker ship seized in April by Greece is no longer impounded and its oil cargo will be returned to its owner, according to Iran's semi-official Mehr news agency."With the swift and authoritative action of Iran, the Greek government finally issued an order and we are now witnessing the lifting of the ship's seizure and the return of its cargo to its owner," the PMO told Mehr.The ship, previously called Pegas and renamed Lana in March, had reported an engine problem in April.

A Russian tanker impounded by Greece this week and reportedly carrying Iranian oil will be released amid confusion about sanctions on its owners."The coast guard has been ordered by the anti-money laundering authority to release the vessel," a Greek government official said, without providing further details.On Tuesday, Greek authorities impounded the 115,500-deadweight tonnage Russian-flagged Pegas, with 19 Russian crew members on board, on the southern coast of the island of Evia.They said the ship was impounded as part of EU sanctions on Russia for the invasion of Ukraine.Earlier this month, the EU banned Russian-flagged vessels from its ports…

Greece has impounded a Russian oil tanker off the island of Evia, the Greek coastguard said on Tuesday, as part of European Union sanctions imposed on Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine.Earlier this month, the EU banned Russian-flagged vessels from the 27-nation bloc's ports, with some exemptions, as it adopted new sweeping sanctions against Russia for what the Kremlin describes as a "special military operation".The 115,500-deadweight tonnage Russian-flagged Pegas, with 19 Russian crew members on board, was seized near Karystos on the southern coast of Evia, which lies just off the Greek mainland near Athens.The Russian embassy in Athens…

Greece has linked the island of Crete to the power grid of the Peloponnese peninsula via an undersea cable, a major step in the country's drive to cut its reliance on imported fossil fuel and boost renewables, the country's power grid operator IPTO said.The southern island of Crete, a popular summer holiday destination for foreigners, has relied on polluting oil-fired power plants that will need to cut production or shut down in the coming years, in line with EU climate-change…

Greece will deliver 50 tons of animal feed to the Togo-flagged ElBeik, which has been stuck at sea for nearly three months in the Mediterranean carrying hundreds of cattle rejected by their buyers amid fears of disease, government sources said on Tuesday.The vessel is expected to sail for Spain once the food transfer is completed in the late evening, an agriculture ministry official told Reuters.Spain’s government could not confirm it was expecting the return of the Elbeik, which left the Spanish port of Tarragona in December carrying nearly 1,800 cattle for sale in Turkey.Turkish authorities rejected the animals and another shipment of 800 Spanish cattle aboard the Lebanon-flagged Karim Allah over concerns they had bovine bluetongue virus, turning the vessels into international pariahs.

Greece on Monday closed the Corinth canal after a rockfall that followed heavy rain, temporarily blocking a transit route used mainly by commercial ships and pleasure yachts. The 6.4-km canal serves about 11,000 ships a year, offering a short transit from southern Italy to the Eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea, saving mariners a 700-km (434-mile) journey around the Peloponnese Peninsula. But its 21.5-metre (64-foot) width means it is not a key waterway for ocean-going vessels.

Public transport in Greece will grind to a halt on Tuesday for the second time in less than a week following calls from Greek union leaders for a strong May Day turnout against government plans for pension changes. Public transport workers have scheduled stoppages throughout the day. Flights and shipping will also be seriously disrupted. A mass walkout last Thursday crippled much of the country, despite a last minute decision by the government to freeze its controversial pension reform plans. The Panhellenic Seamen's Organization said its members would strike from 6 a.m. until midnight, keeping all ships in port. Two routes between northern Greece and northeast Greece and two between the main port city of Piraeus and Kalamata, at the tip of the Peloponnese peninsula, will also run.