Venezuelan Oil Exports Flow Using False Documents, Ships Linked to Iran
When the supertanker Young Yong sailed to the Chinese port of Qingdao in September last year, it had quality certificates for its cargo stating it was transporting Malaysian crude oil, according to the documents reviewed by Reuters.But satellite images and photos show the Chinese-owned ship had loaded the oil four months earlier in Venezuela, an OPEC nation in South America under U.S. oil sanctions.The Young Yong is one of three vessels identified by Reuters that were chartered by little-known companies to export Venezuelan oil and used false documents to conceal its origin, according to shipping documents and 11 sources with knowledge of the trade.Two of those tankers, including the Young Yong, were designated this month by U.S.
Pirates Release Kidnapped Tanker Crew off Togo
Pirates have released three crew taken hostage from a Greek oil tanker off the coast of the West African country of Togo in November, the vessel's manager said on Friday.A fourth hostage, a Filipino, died from illness during captivity, European Products Carriers Ltd added.It did not give details of the release.The tanker, Elka Aristotle, was attacked on Nov. 4 about 18 km (11 miles) from the port of Lome.
Pirates Kidnap Four from Greek Tanker
Pirates attacked a Greek oil tanker off the coast of Togo in the early hours of Monday and fled after taking four crew members as hostages, the West African nation's navy said, two days after a similar attack in the waters of neighbouring Benin.Of the missing crew members, two are Filipinos, one is Greek and one is Georgian, the navy said in a statement. One security guard was also shot and wounded in the attack, it said."Monday, 4th of November 2019, around 0300, the tanker boat Elka Aristotle was attacked around 18 kilometers (11 miles) from the port of Lome by armed individuals," the statement said.While piracy has decreased worldwide…
Missing Tanker Docks in Togo after Suspected Hijacking
A tanker with 19 crew members on board has docked at a port in Togo after going missing for over a week in a suspected hijacking off the West African coast, the crew's agency said on Friday.The Ialkani agency and the ship's managers lost communication with the Panama-registered Pantelena on August 14, when it was about 17 miles (27 km) from the port of Libreville, in Gabon.Two Russian nationals and 17 Georgians were aboard the vessel, a dual purpose oil or chemicals tanker managed by Athens-based Lotus Shipping. The company gave no further details on the cargo or crew."Our guys are alive and well. The ship is already in the port of Lome (Togo's capital) and soon representatives of our company will meet them…
Agreement Strengthens GAC’s West African Presence
GAC has signed a Global Network Agency (GNA) agreement for ports in Ghana, Togo and Benin with Oil and Marine Agencies (OMA) Ltd, effective from 1 January 2013, as part of the Group's strategic expansion in West Africa. The two companies have been working together to provide a range of shipping and logistics services since June 2010. OMA is an established leader in agency and support services for port operations in West Africa, having started from its home port of Lome in Togo 30 years ago. In 2007, it expanded to other countries in the region, including Benin and Ghana, with a base in the Ivory Coast on the cards for 2013. Under the agreement with GAC, it covers all ports in Ghana, Togo and Benin.
