Mumbai– The United Nations has lifted sanctions imposed on an oil tanker owned by a city-based company which had breached them during a business operation in Libya last month, it was announced on Friday.
The oil tanker, MT Distya Ameya, owned by Arya Shipping Co, had been blacklisted by the UN on April 26 after it picked up 6.5 lakh barrels of oil from Al Herega Port in Libya and was bound for Malta, and it emerged that this shipment was in breach of sanctions imposed on the interim Libyan government which the UN did not recognize.
“The vessel MT Distya Ameya was listed pursuant to the resolution as transporting crude oil illicitly exported from Libya, based on information received from the government of Libya,” the UN Sanctions Committee said in its order on April 26.
Since it was an Indian-flagged ship, the Indian Director-General of Shipping (DGS) took up the issue with the Permanent Mission of India to the UN.
Following the DGS directives, the oil tanker returned to Libya, discharged its entire oil consignment at the designated port under the supervision of the north African country’s National Oil Corporation, controlled by the government of National Accord of Libya, which is recognized by the UN.
The cargo unloading was completed on May 6 and it was found that neither the foreign charterers or the Indian owners and managers of the ship were aware of the UN sanctions.
After this, the Permanent Mission of India to the UN in New York issued a Note Verbale to the UN Security Council apprising it of the developments and compliance of the orders, and on Thursday, the UN formally lifted the sanctions on the vessel – 16 days after it was slapped with the restrictions for carrying the disputed Libyan oil.
The ship is now completely free to resume its normal sailing and commercial operations. (IANS)
