MOSCOW/BEIRUT: Russia shipped a diesel cargo to the Syrian Arab Republic onboard a tanker under US sanctions, the first known such direct supply to the Middle Eastern country in more than a decade, LSEG data showed.
The final destination of the cargo is unclear. Russia has two main military installations in Syria: an air base in Hmeimim and a naval base in Tartous, integral to Russia’s military reach in the Middle East and Africa.
Russia’s control over the bases is under threat following the sudden fall of Bashar Assad last year. Moscow has said it wanted to keep its hold over them.
According to LSEG data, the Barbados-flagged vessel Prosperity (previously known as Gabon-flagged NS Pride) was loaded with about 37,000 metric tons of ultra-low sulfur diesel at the Russian Baltic port of Primorsk on Feb. 8.
The tanker is anchored near the Syrian port of Banias, LSEG shipping data shows. Fornax itself is also under the US sanctions. The company was not immediately available for comment.
US sanctions on Russia since the start of the 2022 invasion of Ukraine have included measures aimed at limiting revenues from the country’s huge oil and gas industry and weakening its ability to fund the military efforts.
The United States on January 10 added the Prosperity to the list of sanctioned vessels, which includes some 180 tankers, involved in the export of Russian oil products following its war in Ukraine. The EU and the UK followed suit on February 24.
Violations of the US sanctions programs may result in civil and, in some cases, criminal penalties.
In one such case, US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC)
announced
last year a settlement of $7.45 million with the State Street Bank for “apparent violations” of the Russia and Ukraine-related sanctions.
At the same time, the US issued a six-month waiver to its Syria sanctions, focused on the energy sector and financial transfers to Syrian governing authorities.
Syrian oil ministry officials did not immediately respond to text messages seeking comment. Russia’s energy ministry declined to comment.
This is the first direct diesel shipment from Russia to Syria since at least 2013, according to LSEG data.
Syria also issued an import tender for 20,000 tons of LPG and was seeking to import oil as no crude shipments have arrived from Iran, its key supplier, since November, according to data from shipping analytics firm Kpler.
Syria has two oil refineries, located in Homs and Banias, which ceased operating after Assad’s fall.
Russia ships diesel to Syria on tanker under US sanctions, data shows
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Russia ships diesel to Syria on tanker under US sanctions, data shows
- According to LSEG data, the Barbados-flagged vessel Prosperity was loaded with about 37,000 metric tons of ultra-low sulfur diesel
- The tanker is anchored near the Syrian port of Banias, LSEG shipping data shows
Israel spied on US forces at Gaza aid base: Sources
- US commander summoned Israeli counterpart to say: ‘Recording has to stop here’
- Staff, visitors from other partner countries have also raised concerns about Israeli surveillance
LONDON: Israel conducted widespread surveillance of US forces involved in an aid mechanism for Gaza, The Guardian reported.
The Civil-Military Coordination Center in southern Israel was launched in October as a joint body to monitor the ceasefire and oversee the entry of aid into the war-torn Palestinian enclave.
But sources with knowledge of internal disputes told The Guardian that open and covert recordings of meetings at the CMCC had prompted disputes between the two partners.
Lt. Gen. Patrick Frank, the US commander of the center, summoned his Israeli counterpart to explain that “recording has to stop here.”
Other countries, including the UK and UAE, are also involved in the CMCC. Staff and visitors from partner countries have likewise raised concerns about Israeli surveillance activities at the center.
When the CMCC began operations, media in the US and Israel reported that the latter was handing over authority to American forces.
Yet Israel still retains effective control over what enters the territory despite Washington’s considerable leverage, according to one US official.
US forces who arrived at the CMCC, including logistics experts, were keen to increase the flow of aid into Gaza.
But they soon discovered that Israel had implemented a wide range of controls on purported “dual-use” goods, creating a larger impediment than any engineering challenge relating to aid delivery. These included basic goods such as tent poles and chemicals used for water purification.
Dutch Foreign Minister David van Weel has said he was briefed at the center on “one of the dual-use barriers that was being lifted as a result of the conversations (there).”
It came in response to growing awareness that Israeli restrictions on deliveries stood as the biggest barrier to the entry of aid into Gaza.
Israeli authorities had also restricted basic items such as pencils and paper — required by Palestinian students for school — without explanation.
There is widespread hesitancy among aid organizations and diplomats over joining the CMCC’s efforts, despite being invited to do so.
The center lacks any Palestinian representation, and even US efforts to schedule video calls with Palestinian officials were vetoed by Israeli staff there.
