NEW DELHI: An Indian ship carrying Iraqi crude has been detained by Iran in its territorial waters due to pollution concerns, the head of the refiner buying the oil and India’s shipping directorate said yesterday.
The Desh Shanti was carrying 140,000 tonnes of Basrah crude from Iraq to India, a separate source at buyer Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd (HPCL) said.
Iraq was India’s biggest supplier of crude in June, pipping Saudi Arabia for the top slot with exports of 606,000 barrels per day (bpd). Exports from Iran, which used to be India’s second-biggest supplier, have dwindled because of western sanctions.
“It was a Shipping Corp of India (SCI) vessel carrying Iraqi crude for us ... it was detained by Iran authorities to check pollution,” HPCL Chairman S Roy Choudhury told Reuters.
The ship was stopped on Tuesday.
“SCI has informed us that it will be getting cleared today,” he added.
The head of India’s Directorate General of Shipping, Gautam Chatterjee, confirmed that the Iranian coast guard authorities had detained the ship, adding: “I have no information it has been released.”
The HPCL source said the Iranian coast guard suspected the vessel had spilled some oil and inspected it.
“They did not find anything. Now they have asked them to take the vessel to Bandar Abbas. After this we have been told there could be another inspection,” he added.
Two sources at SCI said clarity on the vessel’s status would emerge on Friday.
“The vessel is still in the Gulf. We will get to know if things are clear to us only when it reaches Fujairah,” one of the SCI sources said.
Any pollution damage claims would be handled by the tanker’s insurer, the Steamship Mutual protection and indemnity club.
Michael Hird, head of claims at Steamship Insurance Management Services in London, said: “We are certainly involved in the matter. We are not in a position to comment further. Hopefully it is straightforward.”
Reuters
