The following is text of a news release from Gard:
(ARENDAL, Norway) — Over the last few years, nearly 300 crewmembers have been arrested and are being held in a Tripoli prison, awaiting trial for alleged oil smuggling, according to Gard’s Libyan correspondent. After the fall of the Gaddafi regime and the subsequent formation of a United Nations-recognized government in the country, there has been an increase in illegal trade of government oil assets on the black market. The government is clamping down on this illegal trade, and the vessels involved, knowingly or unknowingly, may have their crew arrested for later trials.
According to our correspondent, tankers suspected of calling certain loading areas in western Libya risk being boarded by the Libyan navy and the vessel and its crew could be detained for further investigations. The loading areas currently at risk are mostly located offshore between Zawiya and the Tunisian border.
Once a vessel has been detained, investigations can take several years. The correspondent also states that some of the crewmembers arrested for alleged oil smuggling have so far been in prison for over two years, with no real prospect of release in the foreseeable future. And while the crewmembers remain in the custody of the police, the vessel is kept at anchor as a “dead” ship with negligible support from the port.
Recommendations
Members and clients are advised to instruct their ships to continue to exercise caution when entering Libyan ports and waters and follow the official sea navigation routes to any of the working Libyan ports. For tankers trading to this region, our correspondent in Libya recommends the following:
• When contracting your vessel for a voyage to Libya, obtain a certificate of origin from the charterers indicating that the shippers are indeed a National Oil Company (NOC) or an approved legal entity of the NOC. The Libyan NOC has the sole rights and control of all oil exports from the country. Most detentions related to oil smuggling, have been in connection with tankers operating offshore and not in a port.
• Charterers should establish the legitimacy of cargo interests and whether they can legitimately ship oil cargoes from Libya. The shippers should be able to provide a letter or document to prove that they are authorized by the NOC to ship the cargo. Our correspondents will be able to verify the legitimacy of such documents and provide general guidance, if required.
• Tankers delivering fuel oil to Libya, should, on completion of cargo operations and upon receiving port clearance, sail directly out of Libyan waters without deviation or delay as such deviations or delays may be construed as suspicious by the authorities.
• Upon leaving the Libyan coast, vessels should avoid navigating close to the coast. Our correspondent recommends maintaining a distance of 40 nautical miles from the coast for safety. Most cases of detention have occurred within 25 nautical miles off the Libyan coast.
For more information about Libyan ports and relevant operational advice, click here.
