Seized Iranian Tanker Released by Greek Government

A ship named the Lana and flagged with an Iranian state flag, was seized in April by Greek authorities. The ship, previously named Pegas and flagged by the nation of Russia, was bound for the Peloponnese Peninsula to offload it's cargo to another ship due to engine issues. After encountering boisterous waters, the ship was moored off the island coast of Evia when it was seized by the Greek Government. The ship has been flying an Iranian flag since May 1st. It is 1 of 5 ships that were designated by the United States for sanctions against Promsvyazbank and the ships owner Transmorflot.

In response to the seizure of the vessel, the Iranian government seized 2 Greek vessels, as the seizure of their ship was deemed as piracy by the Iranian government.

A court ruling inside the Greek government which allowed for the confiscation of the oil cargo by the United States was overturned, prompting the release of the vessel. The vessel had been tied to sanctions placed on Russia by the European Union shortly after Russia's invasion of the sovereign nation of Ukraine.

Source #1 Aljazeera

Source #2 Reuters

Source #3 NBC
 

Top