SPAIN's biggest oil refinery, Repsol SA, declared that Russian diesel has been entering the country in breach of European Union sanctions, reports Bloomberg
SPAIN's biggest oil refinery, Repsol SA, declared that Russian diesel has been entering the country in breach of European Union sanctions, reports Bloomberg. While Repsol did not name any tankers bringing in the fuel, but at least one of them was the 38,734-dwt Marshall Island-flagged STI Clapham, according sources.
In early March, the STI Clapham loaded 225,000 barrels of diesel at Tangier, according to paperwork seen by Bloomberg. It then sailed north, eventually discharging the fuel, after some delay, at the Spanish port of Bilbao.
The cargo's Certificate of Origin, seen by Bloomberg, says that the fuel on the STI Clapham came from Saudi Arabia. Specifically, it was part of a consignment that had previously been delivered into the Moroccan port by another vessel called the Minerva Pisces, according to a person familiar with additional paperwork.
However, documents relating to the STI Clapham's shipment show that the fuel it loaded in Morocco wasn't of the same density as the Minerva Pisces had earlier delivered - a small but potentially important discrepancy. It suggests the fuel delivered to Spain wasn't what the Minerva Pisces collected from Saudi Arabia.
Cameron Mackey, chief operating officer at Scorpio Tankers Inc, the STI Clapham's owner, said the company was looking into the matter.
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