Tankers carrying Iranian fuel cargoes which were confiscated by the US in July remained at sea amid an ownership claim battle. The US Department of Justice (DOJ) seized four privately-owned vessels along with their loads of 1 million barrels of Iranian fuel bound to Venezuela as an effort to disrupt trade between the two countries under sanctions. The fuel has been transferred into two vessels which struggled to discharge amid the ownership claims.
Companies that claim ownership of the fuel include Sohar Fuel, Oman Fuel, and Mobin International. They asked a US judge to release the seized cargoes, arguing the fuel was bound to Colombia and Peru, not Venezuela, and hence the forfeiture was based on unfounded assumptions. On the other hand, the DOJ said the seizure was proper under the US sanctions on Iran. It said that the fuel came from companies linked to Iran, and shippers took steps to mask ownerships.
