TIRANA, Feb. 21, 2023 – Customs and police officials in Albania’s main port of Durres say they have seized a ship with 22,500 tons of oil, the origin of which is suspected to be Russia.
The Liberian-flagged Grace Felix merchant vessel put anchor for several days about 5 nautical miles from the coast of Durres and had started the procedures for unloading the oil, the approximate value of which, according to the stock exchange, is more than 18 million dollars.
Its paperwork said it departed from Azerbaijan and was then loaded with oil at the port of Kallamata, Greece, from another vessel.
But Albanian police say they had “reasonable suspicions” that the amount of oil had “originated from embargoed countries and was smuggled, as proper documentation was not available.”
The ship’s captain and 22 crew members were detained pending further verification.
Police did not specify the name of the Albanian company who had ordered the oil, other than to say it was based in Elbasan.
This is the latest of several cases in which Albanian customs seize shipments of oil that are believed to be smuggled hiding the original source.
