Venezuelan Tankers Detained In Dutch Caribbean For Safety Reasons

Two oil tankers linked to Venezuela’s oil trade have been detained in Dutch Caribbean jurisdictions after port state control inspections found serious safety and compliance problems.

According to the Caribbean Memorandum of Understanding on Port State Control (CMOU), the tanker Regina was detained in Curacao, while Morning Sun was held in St. Eustatius.

Both vessels have previously carried Venezuelan oil cargoes and were inspected after calling at ports with stricter enforcement standards.

Authorities reported that Regina faced issues beyond routine inspection deficiencies.

The vessel arrived claiming to fly the flag of East Timor, even though the country does not operate an international shipping registry.

East Timor has earlier asked port states to investigate ships falsely using its flag. Officials said investigations into the tanker’s condition and flag status are ongoing.

The CMOU and local authorities also noted that Regina had previously carried oil cargoes linked to the joint Trafigura–United States marketing arrangement.

The detention could affect Curacao’s plans to become a trading hub for Venezuelan oil.

The island’s prime minister had personally welcomed Regina on its first visit, highlighting the importance placed on renewed oil trade with Venezuela.

In St. Eustatius, Dutch officials detained the product tanker Morning Sun after inspectors identified several technical deficiencies.

The Panama-flagged vessel, built in 1996, was found to have problems with fire doors, the fire pump, and hatchway watertightness.

Inspection records show that its last port state control inspection outside Venezuela took place in 2018.

Officials in St. Eustatius stated that the vessel had too many unresolved deficiencies to be allowed to sail.

While more compliant, non-shadow fleet tankers have begun calling at Venezuelan ports to serve American and European buyers, some shipments continue to be carried by older vessels linked to the shadow fleet.

References: indexbox, safety4sea

Source: Maritime Shipping News