An Iranian oil tanker has unloaded cargo at a Chinese port... making the oil look like it came from Iraq.
If confirmed, the violation of U.S. sanctions may deal another huge blow to what remains of U.S.-Iran ties and reinvigorate tensions between Washington and Beijing.
Cha Sang-mi reports.
Ship tracking data from tracking firm Refinitiv Eikon showed a tanker carrying Iranian fuel oil in violation of U.S. sanctions has unloaded the cargo into storage tanks near the Chinese city of Zhoushan.
A representative at the oil storage terminal confirmed that the tanker, named Marshal Z, discharged nearly 130-thousand tons of Iranian fuel oil... and that the trip began four months ago.
According to Reuters, Iranian fuel oil managed to dodge U.S. sanctions on petroleum exports by using ship-to-ship transfers, including the Marshal Z, and by forging documents that disguised the cargoes as from Iraq.
The Marshal Z, according to ship-tracking data, arrived at the Jinrun terminal on May 8th and the cargo was not discharged before reaching the terminal, about 30 kilometers south of Zhoushan, near Shanghai.
The fuel could be stored at Jinrun without clearing Chinese customs and officially entering the country as it offers bonded storage at the terminal.
The data showed Marshal Z unloaded the fuel oil on May 12th.
This comes less than two weeks since the Trump administration stepped up its moves to pressure Iran by ending waivers that granted eight countries importing limited quantities of Iranian crude oil,... including South Korea and China.
Cha Sang-mi, Arirang News.