Washington Seeks to Seize Iranian Cargo on Liberian Tanker

The Liberia-flagged Achilleas is a vessel known as a Very Large Crude Carrier. (File/MarineTraffic.com)
The Liberia-flagged Achilleas is a vessel known as a Very Large Crude Carrier. (File/MarineTraffic.com)
TT

Washington Seeks to Seize Iranian Cargo on Liberian Tanker

The Liberia-flagged Achilleas is a vessel known as a Very Large Crude Carrier. (File/MarineTraffic.com)
The Liberia-flagged Achilleas is a vessel known as a Very Large Crude Carrier. (File/MarineTraffic.com)

The US Department of Justice issued a complaint in a US district court to seize the Iranian cargo on the Liberia-flagged Achilleas on Feb. 3, according to Maritime Magazine.

"Participants in the scheme attempted to disguise the origin of the oil using ship-to-ship transfers, falsified documents, and other means, and provided a fraudulent bill of lading to deceive the owners of the Achilleas into loading the oil in question," the Department said.

“The forfeiture complaint filed today serves as a reminder that the IRGC (Revolutionary Guards) and Quds Force continue to exert significant control over the sale of Iranian oil,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers.

“As we have demonstrated in the past, the Department will deploy all tools at its disposal to ensure that the IRGC and Quds Force cannot use profits from the sale of Iranian oil to fund terrorism and other activities that threaten the safety and security of all Americans.”

The bulk of the oil that is shipped out of Iran ends up in China. The vessel is known as a Very Large Crude Carrier and is fully loaded, according to shipping documents.

It’s heading to the US and is currently sailing close to the South American coast, according to tracking data compiled by Bloomberg.

The Achilleas’ owner, Capital Ship Management Corp., alerted US authorities to the possibility that it had unknowingly taken on Iranian crude, Bloomberg reported.

The IRGC and the IRGC-QF, both designated as terrorist organizations by the US, use oil money to buy weapons of mass destruction and carry out human rights abuses, according to the Department of Justice.



UN COP16 Nature Summit Creates Permanent Body for Indigenous Peoples

FILE PHOTO: A Brazilian indigenous woman wears a feather headdress, during a press conference at the 16th United Nations Biodiversity Summit (COP16), in Yumbo, Colombia October 31, 2024. REUTERS/Luisa Gonzalez/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A Brazilian indigenous woman wears a feather headdress, during a press conference at the 16th United Nations Biodiversity Summit (COP16), in Yumbo, Colombia October 31, 2024. REUTERS/Luisa Gonzalez/File Photo
TT

UN COP16 Nature Summit Creates Permanent Body for Indigenous Peoples

FILE PHOTO: A Brazilian indigenous woman wears a feather headdress, during a press conference at the 16th United Nations Biodiversity Summit (COP16), in Yumbo, Colombia October 31, 2024. REUTERS/Luisa Gonzalez/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A Brazilian indigenous woman wears a feather headdress, during a press conference at the 16th United Nations Biodiversity Summit (COP16), in Yumbo, Colombia October 31, 2024. REUTERS/Luisa Gonzalez/File Photo

Countries at the UN COP16 summit on nature on Friday approved a measure to create a permanent body for Indigenous peoples to consult on United Nations decisions about nature conservation.
The consultative body is considered a breakthrough in recognizing the role that Indigenous peoples play in conserving nature globally, including some of the most biodiverse areas of the planet, according to Indigenous and environmental advocates, reported Reuters.
Nearly 200 countries convened in the Columbian city of Cali aiming to implement the 2022 Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework agreement, which aims to halt the rapid decline of nature by 2030.
The consultative body, which will also extend to local communities, will help to incorporate traditional knowledge and practices into conservation efforts.
Countries also adopted a measure that recognizes the role of people of African descent in caring for nature, which COP16 host Colombia said would grant such communities easier access to resources to fund their biodiversity projects and participate in global environmental discussions.
The measure's adoption was met with chants and singing by campaigners, as well as words of thanks from Colombia Foreign Minister Luis Gilberto Murillo, who said the breakthrough was particularly important for Latin America and the Caribbean.
"Our territories, which cover much of the natural wealth of the planet, have also been home to people of African descent and Indigenous peoples whose sustainable practices are needed to face the environmental challenges that we all share today," Murillo said.
Earlier in the week, Armenia was announced as the host of COP17, which will be held in 2026.