The Ghana Maritime Authority has allegedly detained a vessel on 14 April over suspicions of an illegal bunkering operation within the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of Ghanaian territorial waters, says the CEO of the National Petroleum Authority (NPA).
The Marshall Islands-flagged River Oak is a 13,131 DWT chemical tanker owned by OakTree Capital Management and operated by Alliance Tanker Management, according to a shipping database.
The ship was delivering marine fuel to the MT Asian Champion and the MT Atlantic Dreamer at a location about 65 nautical miles offshore in the Ghanaian EEZ on April 14 when approached by the Ghana Navy, reports local media Graphic Online.
Its crew was unable to produce necessary registration documents for operating in the EEZ, leading to the detention of the ship; the vessel was carrying 65 metric tonnes (mt) of marine gas oil (MGO) and 2,209 mt of fuel oil.
Investigations are still ongoing and it was too early to determine if River Oak was operating illegally within the EEZ, says Alhassan Tampuli, CEO of NPA.
“It is still being kept under investigations, pending the Ghana Maritime Authority’s confirmation of its registration documents and other requirements for the ship operating in the EEZ,” he told the paper.
Related: Ghana investigating illegal MGO sales to vessels
Published: 23 April, 2018
Transferred shares of 40 subsidiaries to BVI firm after tribunal awarded claims in favour of Trinity Seatrading; YSPL has also filed a civil complaint against DNV and Liberian ship registry at Nanjing Maritime Court.
ADNOC L&S, Gulf Energy Maritime, Cockett Marine Oil, Mideast/Bahri Ship Management and VPS experts present their views on biofuel bunker hurdles at the VPS Biofuels Seminar in Dubai on 16 March.
‘Bunker barges operate in very local areas so these vessels call at port very often which means it will be a good fit for women with families,’ states Elpi Petraki, President of WISTA International.
“Our Singapore branch is under preparation and is expected to start business at the republic before June 2023,” Managing Director Darcy Wong tells bunkering publication Manifold Times in an interview.
Development to supply B35 biodiesel blend officially takes effect on 1 February; local bunker suppliers will be able to deliver updated spec within March onwards, once current stocks of B30 avails run out.
VPS, Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation, Wilhelmsen Ship Management, and INTERTANKO executives offered a multitude of perspectives to 73 attendees during the VPS Biofuels Seminar, reports Manifold Times.