Kharg Island News

Greece-based Empire Navigation is investigating whether Iranian oil was transferred onto one of the vessels it manages, the company said in a statement, after a U.S. advocacy group first made such allegation last week.Top oil shipping companies say they are grappling with a growing risk of handling oil shipments originating from countries that have been targeted by U.S. sanctions such as Iran and Venezuela.A breach of U.S. sanctions could lead to a company losing access to the dollar financial system, having assets seized, and insurance cover for ships canceled, U.S. and insurance industry officials say.Empire Navigation said it was "aware of the allegation of non-compliance regarding our managed vessel…

An Iranian-flagged oil tanker left Venezuela on Friday for Iran's Kharg Island, Refinitiv Eikon data showed, after the vessel loaded 1.9 million barrels of heavy crude at the South American country's Jose oil terminal.The shipment marks the latest example of cooperation between the two OPEC nations this year as they step up commercial ties to try to rescue their respective oil industries, both of which are under intense pressure from U.S. sanctions.The very-large crude carrier (VLCC), registered in shipping databases under the name Horse, discharged 2.1 million barrels of Iranian condensate to be used as diluent for Venezuela's extra-heavy oil production in September.It then loaded Merey heavy crude…

An Iranian tanker damaged in the Red Sea two weeks ago has entered Iranian territorial waters, the official IRNA news agency reported on Monday, citing information from the National Iranian Tanker Company.The tanker will dock at Kharg Island in two days, the report said.Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said last week that the tanker, the Sabiti, had been hit by at least two rockets, and there is video footage of the incident.The attack was undoubtedly carried out by a government and there would be consequences, Rouhani said last week.Iranian authorities reported that the Iranian-owned oil tanker was struck off Saudi Arabia’s coast. There has been no independent report on the cause of the damage.Iran’s rival Saudi Arabia has said it was not behind any attack on the tanker.

The Strait of Hormuz, the narrow shipping lane between Iran and Oman named after the fabulously wealthy ancient kingdom of Ormus, has fascinated oil traders since the Iranian revolution in 1979. Iran has periodically threatened to close the strait to enemy shipping, while the United States and its allies have pledged to keep it open and maintain freedom of navigation, by force if necessary.The strait has become a symbolic flashpoint in the region-wide confrontation and indirect…

A vessel carrying 2 million barrels of Iranian oil discharged the crude into a bonded storage tank at the port of Dalian in northeast China on Monday, according to Refinitiv Eikon data and a shipping agent with knowledge of the matter.Iran, the third-largest producer in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), is finding fewer takers for its crude ahead of U.S. sanctions on its oil exports that will go into effect on Nov. 4. The country previously held oil in storage at Dalian during the last round of sanctions in 2014 that was later sold to buyers in South Korea and India.The very large crude carrier Dune, operated by National Iranian Tanker Co…

Two tankers carrying Iranian condensate, a type of ultra-light oil, have been floating off the United Arab Emirates for about a month as demand for the oil fell ahead of U.S. sanctions.The tankers, carrying about 2.4 million barrels of South Pars condensate combined, have been floating off the UAE since August after South Korea halted imports from Iran while China's demand dropped during summer, according to several industry sources and shipping data.The build-up in Iranian oil supplies underscores the pressure that Iran is facing as Washington aims to bring Iranian oil exports down to zero to force Tehran to re-negotiate a nuclear deal.The Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) Felicity loaded condensate at Iran's Assaluyeh port in early August and then set ail for Jebel Ali in the UAE…

A tanker carrying Iranian oil and run by the country's top oil shipping firm was ablaze and spewing cargo into the East China Sea on Sunday after colliding with a Chinese freight ship, leaving the tanker's 32 crew members missing, the Chinese government said.Thick clouds of dark smoke could be seen billowing out of the Sanchi tanker  engulfing the vessel as rescue efforts were hampered by bad weather and fire on and around the ship, Mohammad Rastad, head of Iran's Ports and Maritime Organization, told Iranian television.The Sanchi, run by the country's top oil shipping operator, collided with the CF Crystal about 160 nautical miles off the coast near Shanghai and the mouth of the Yangtze River Delta on Saturday evening…

French port Marseille Fos handled 20.17 million metric tons of cargo from January to March in a near identical repeat of last year’s first-quarter result. General cargo rose 1 percent to 4.49MT led by container growth at Fos, which gained 3 percent for 263,038 teu. However, total box volumes slipped 3 percent to 304,664 teu – and by 1 percent to 2.93MT in tonnage terms - after a difficult start to the year at Marseille, where container traffic fell 27 percent to 41,626 teu. Added to conventional trades dropping 8 percent on 0.56MT…

Iran all set launch a shipping line to Europe, North and South American countries, as sanctions against Iran’s shipping industry has been recently lifted. The Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL) has resumed its routes to various destinations across Europe, says IRISL managing director Mohammad Saeedi. According to Tehran Times, Iran’s shipping lines to Europe had been cut for seven years under the western-led sanctions against the country, but shipping lines to Homburg in Germany, Antwerp in Belgium, and Genoa in Italy are now re-connected thanks to the removal of sanctions, he said. He also said the country plans to launch a shipping line to South American countries, as sanctions against the shipping industry have been lifted.

Iran faces a struggle to increase oil exports because many of its tankers are tied up storing crude, some are not seaworthy, and foreign shipowners remain reluctant to carry its cargoes. Tehran is seeking to make up for lost trade to Europe following the lifting of EU sanctions imposed in 2011 and 2012, which deprived it of a market that accounted for over a third of its exports and left it relying completely on Asian buyers. Iran has 55-60 oil tankers in its fleet, a senior Iranian government official told Reuters.

Spanish refiner Cepsa will ship a 1-million barrel cargo of Iranian oil to its refineries, according to vessel agents' data and market players' information on Wednesday. Global oil markets, already oversupplied, have been jittery over the return of Iranian oil after the lifting of international sanctions imposed over Tehran's nuclear programme. According to Reuters shipping data, epsa has chartered the suezmax Monte Toledo which will load at Iran's Kharg Island for delivery to the Spanish ports of Huelva and Algeciras. Spain and Iran are considering jointly building an oil refinery in Algeciras. A Cepsa spokeswoman said it was not the company's policy to give any details about specific commercial operations.

Minister of Petroleum, Bijan Zangeneh said that Iran and Belgium are in talks for possible floating production of liquefied natural gas (LNG) FLNG Unit off the Kharg Island in the Persian Gulf. The issue was brought up during Zangeneh’s talks with Belgian Secretary of State for Foreign Trade, Pieter De Crem in Tehran on Monday as the two sides look to new areas of cooperation ahead of the lifting of sanctions on Iran. "If the two sides show flexibility and technical and economic negotiations bear results…

Oil exports from Iran, OPEC’s second-largest producer, may drop because the nation’s tanker fleet is too small to carry all its cargoes, as European Union sanctions cause international ship owners to avoid the country. NITC owns 39 vessels, able to carry about 70 million barrels of crude, according to its website. The fleet would be insufficient to deliver the nation’s monthly exports of about 65 million barrels because journey durations can be as long as two months, said Dag Kilen, an analyst at Fearnley Consultants A/S, a unit of Norway’s second-largest shipbroker. Sanctions already cut shipments by 300,000 to 400,000 barrels a day, Barclays Capital said on March 7. Frontline Ltd., Overseas Shipholding Group Inc.

U.S. and European sanctions designed to pressure Iran over its nuclear program may be cutting the Persian Gulf nation’s oil exports, as vessels cancel trips to the country. Shipments have declined by 300,000 to 400,000 barrels a day, because sanctions are preventing Iran from selling oil, said Amrita Sen, an analyst at Barclay’s Capital in London. Half of the tankers booked to load at the country’s largest terminal last month didn’t complete the voyages, according to brokers, company officials and ship-tracking data. Ship owners are avoiding trade with Iran because U.S. financial sanctions are blocking payments, and the main providers of cover against risks, such as oil spills, are subject to the European Union’s ban on the purchase, transportation, financing and insurance of Iranian oil.

Middle East Gulf to Europe via the Suez Canal. know that we provide a unique service that is appreciated. quality of the hand-picked crew allow us to do these voyages. February 3, giving a voyage average speed of 16.5 knots. the Suez transit. been in constant employment since they were delivered in early 2002. voyage. cargo of fuel oil in Rotterdam for delivery to Singapore. also lifted a number of cargoes from the AG for discharge in the US Gulf. delivered this March. vessels set new standards for large tanker strength and speed.

Hellespont Alhambra is the first of the series of four new ultra-high spec double hull ULCCs delivered to Piraeus, Greece-based Hellespont Group. At the beginning of February, the 442,000-dwt ship immediately demonstrated its flexibility and economy of scale, delivering a full cargo of Middle East crude to Rotterdam, following a swift voyage from the Middle East Gulf to Europe via the Suez Canal. Alex Papachristidis-Bove, president and co-chartering manager of Seatramp Tankers, Hellespont's commercial management, said "It's exciting to come up with innovative solutions, successfully execute them for our clients, and know that we provide a unique service that is appreciated.

Iran has chartered a 555,000 dwt ULCC for floating oil storage to replace two VLCCs, tanker brokers said. The 1979-built Sea Giant is scheduled to be delivered in mid November for stationing off Kharg Island to replace the VLCCs Mountain Cloud (285,000 dwt) and Union (275,000 dwt) which will apparently be redelivered. The Sea Giant has been taken by the National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC) at around $15,750 a day on a monthly basis for up to 150 days, brokers said. After chartering a number of vessels over the summer NITC now has a fleet of 14 vessels, four of which are its own, with a combined storage capacity of around 5.24 million tons.