Lavan Island News

United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) has called on Sweden’s Stoc Holding AB to explain and cease its business to and from Iran with the tankship 'Persia'. According to UANI, Stoc Holding controls a vessel, called the "Persia," that appears to operate a dedicated route in support of Iran's petrochemical industry. Stoc Holding openly advertises its ties to sanctioned Iranian entities on the front page of its website. UANI recently launched its Maritime Intelligence Network and Rogue Vessel Analysis (MINERVA) system, to provide real-time tracking and course prediction for Iranian and Iran-related vessels. MINERVA’s unique capabilities allow UANI to monitor such vessels, and take relevant action to halt illegal Iran-sponsored shipping schemes.

An Iranian court fined the owner of a sunken Russian ship $6.3 million for polluting the marine environment, Reuters reported. Captain Sakharov, a Russian merchant vessel, sank 30 miles south of Lavan island in the Gulf in 1993, after leaked chemicals caused an explosion on board. The ship's cargo of chemicals heavily polluted Iran's territorial waters and caused widespread death of fish and other marine life.