As part of its efforts to block Iran’s energy exports, the US is trying to seize around 2 million barrels of what it thinks is Iranian oil onboard the Liberian-flagged Achilleas, Bloomberg reported citing people familiar with the matter.
The Greek-owned VLCC is now sailing to the US after the Department of Justice issued a seizure order, sources say. The order came before Joe Biden succeeded Donald Trump as US president.
With a capacity of 2 million barrels, the VLCC is fully loaded. The ship owners alerted US authorities to the possibility it had unknowingly taken on Iranian crude, after initially believing it came from Iraq.
The ship’s tracking system was switched off from 1 to 13 January, while off South Africa, according Bloomberg. It is currently traveling across the South Atlantic Ocean.
Iran pumped about 2 million barrels of crude a day in December, which is barely half what it was producing before Trump left the nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, and tightened sanctions, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
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