Oil smuggling activities in waters off the Western Libya coast continue to pose risks to vessels in these waters. Tanker operators caution their vessels’ crews about the situation and must instruct them to navigate as per guidelines of Libyan authorities, reports Gard.
Crews detained at Libya
For quite a few years from the past and until now, nearly 300 crew members have been arrested and are held in a Tripoli prison, awaiting trial for alleged oil smuggling, according to Gard’s Libyan correspondent.
Also, tankers suspected of calling certain loading areas in Western Libya might be arrested by the Libyan Navy and the vessel and her crew could be detained for further investigations. The loading areas currently at risk are mostly located offshore between Zawiya and the Tunisian border.
UN government reacts to illegal trade
The fall of the Gaddafi regime and the subsequent formation of a UN 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.
Once a vessel has been detained, investigations can take upto several years, and in some cases the crew members arrested for alleged oil smuggling are detained in prison for over two years – with no real prospect of release in the foreseeable future. And while the crew members remain in the custody of the police, the vessel is kept at anchor as a “dead” ship with negligible support from the port.
Checklist for Crew members
For tankers trading to this region, Gard’s correspondent in Libya recommends these considerations,
- 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.
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.
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Source: Gard
