U.S. sells two “shadow fleet” tankers seized in January for scrap

The U.S. government has sold two sanctioned oil tankers seized by American forces for scrap, according to a report by the industry publication Lloyd’s List. The Era (IMO: 9230880) and Lileo (IMO: 9256860) were bought in July by the Dubai-based company Global Marketing Systems (GMS).

The value of the deal was not disclosed. According to Lloyd’s List, both vessels are heading to Alang, India, for scrapping.

“The U.S. government has sold them to us and there was a court order authorizing the sales, but there are complexities, not least the fact that we weren’t really sure who previously owned them,” GMS CEO Anil Sharma told Lloyd’s List.

The Era, which previously sailed under the names Bella 1 and Marinera, was seized by the United States in January between Iceland and the British Isles after a two-week pursuit during which the tanker changed its flag to that of Russia. The vessel’s captain, Georgian citizen Avtandil Kalandadze, was arrested. On Aug. 10, a U.S. court sentenced him to 10 months in prison, to be followed by deportation, for his refusal to obey a U.S. Coast Guard order to stop the ship.

The Lileo, formerly known as Veronica and Galileo, was also seized in January — that time near Venezuela. Washington said the tankers had been used to smuggle oil from Venezuela and Iran.