Iranian Tanker At Centre Of Greek Hostage Standoff Unloads Cargo In Syria

AN IRAN-Flagged aframax that was at the centre of a dispute between the US and Iran has arrived in Syria to unload its cargo of about 700,000 barrels of crude oil, according to data from US monitoring group United Against Nuclear Iran. The Russian-owned Lana (IMO: 9256860) turned off its automatic identification system transponder on November 21, west of the Syrian port of Baniyas, Lloyd’s List Intelligence data shows. The vessel and its cargo was confiscated by the US earlier this year off the coast of Piraeus, only to be returned after Iran’s military detained two Greek tankers in the Middle East Gulf, using them and their 49 crew members as bargaining chips. “Greece’s decision to allow Lana to be released, after reversing its decision to let the US seize the ship’s cargo, was unfortunate and disappointing,” said Claire Jungman, chief of staff at UANI. “Instead of working with an ally, Greece sided with Iran to ultimately benefit Iran’s proxy, Syria. Iran’s oil shipments to the regime are regarded as a way of strengthening the country’s regional position and are also a major part of the regime’s survival strategy.”