Middle EastTankers

UAE charterer of seized tanker denies Iranian claims of fuel smuggling

The charterer of a small product tanker seized by Iran earlier this month has rubbished claims the ship was engaged in fuel smuggling.

Iran impounded the 1,899 dwt Riah when it was scheduled to sail to Oman to load fuel for further shipment to Berbera in Africa’s Somaliland

The ship’s charterer, KRB Petrochemicals, has denied Tehran’s assertion that the Riah was smuggling 1m litres of fuel out of Iran and intended to transfer the cargo to foreign vessels. The ship and three of its crew are still being held in Iranian waters along with the Stena Impero, a larger product tanker, seized on Friday.

Sam Chambers

Starting out with the Informa Group in 2000 in Hong Kong, Sam Chambers became editor of Maritime Asia magazine as well as East Asia Editor for the world’s oldest newspaper, Lloyd’s List. In 2005 he pursued a freelance career and wrote for a variety of titles including taking on the role of Asia Editor at Seatrade magazine and China correspondent for Supply Chain Asia. His work has also appeared in The Economist, The New York Times, The Sunday Times and The International Herald Tribune.
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