Tankship Lana (IMO 9256860), which had been sailing under the Iranian flag since
August 2nd, was reported to have docked at Syria to unload its cargo
of about 700,000 barrels of crude oil. Its AIS had been turned off from November
21st when the vessel was west of the port of Baniyas, north-western
Syria.
The Lana has had an interesting 2022. It had been
arrested by Greek authorities on April 15th on the island of Evia,
at the request of the US authorities. The arrest of the Lana (previously named
the Pegas), led Iranian forces in May to seize two Greek tankers in the Middle
East Gulf. These were released on November 16th .
Satellite tracking data showed the Lana had discharged
the cargo of around 700,000 barrels in the Syrian port of Banias, according to
US lobby group United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI).
Claire Jungman, chief of staff with UANI, told Reuters that Iran’s shipments to Damascus were “regarded as a way of strengthening
the country’s regional position and are also a major part of the regime’s
survival strategy”.
Syrian imports from Iran vary monthly. According to UANI
analysis, Syria received 1.39m barrels in shipments from Iran in November, down
from 3.5m barrels in October and 3.7m barrels in September.
The United States had hired a tanker in April to impound
the oil onboard the Lana, which had been anchored off Greece. The oil was then
partly removed and placed aboard the tanker Ice Energy, which had been
chartered by the US and had been expected to sail there. However, Greece’s
supreme court ruled then ruled that the cargo should be returned to Iran.
The Lana remained under arrest off the Greek island of
Evia for another two months. It was towed to Piraeus following court orders
that allowed its release.
The vessel’s AIS is still not turned on.
2003-built, Iran-flagged, 61,991 gt Lana is owned and
managed by Transmorflot Inc of Akhty, Russia (Equasis information). It was
renamed the Lana on March 1st 2022. Previously Russia-flagged, it adopted the
flag of Iran on May 1st this year.
