Italian Company Sold Gas To Libya

MSNBC reports:

LONDON — Libya imported gasoline from Italian refiner Saras in early April, taking advantage of a loophole in United Nations sanctions that permits purchases by companies not on a U.N. list of banned entities.

Three shipping sources with direct knowledge of the transaction said the cargo was delivered via ship-to-ship transfer in Tunisia before sailing to Libya.

Saras initially declined to comment but late on Tuesday issued a statement saying it had always acted in full compliance with all applicable restrictive measures concerning Libya.

Italian-flagged tanker Valle di Navarra arrived at the Tunisian port of La Skhira on April 3 and then transferred its cargo onto the Libyan vessel Anwaar Libya for shipment to Gaddafi-controlled western Libya, the shipping sources said.

The shipment is legal under U.N. sanctionsimg id="itxthook0icon" src="http://images.intellitxt.com/ast/adTypes/2_11pxw.gif" alt="" />< against Muammar Gaddafi's government because Libya's General National Maritime Transport Company (GNMTC) which owns the Anwaar Libya, is not on a U.N. blacklist.

In its Tuesday statement, Saras denied having sold or delivered gasoline to GNMTC.

GNMTC is thought to be controlled by Muammar Gaddafi's son Hannibal, who is on the U.N. blacklist of individuals subject to travel bans and asset freezes. Doing business with GNMTC is legal as long as there is no evidence that Hannibal Gaddafi will directly benefit from the transaction.

The United States, the UnitedNationsimg id="itxthook1icon" src="http://images.intellitxt.com/ast/adTypes/2_11pxw.gif" alt="" />< and European Union imposed sanctions on the Libyan government and selected Libyan companies in late February and in March.

Libyan efforts to import fuel were among subjects expected to be raised in Washington on Tuesday when UK Defense Secretary Liam Foximg id="itxthook2icon" src="http://images.intellitxt.com/ast/adTypes/2_11pxw.gif" alt="" />< met his U.S. counterpart, Robert Gates.

TUNISIA TRANSFER

Reuters reported on April 20 that Gaddafi's government is circumventing international sanctions to import gasoline to western Libya by using intermediaries to transfer fuels between ships in Tunisia.

The Valle di Navarra's owner, Navigazione Montanari SPA, said the tanker had been chartered by Saras for the voyage from Italy to Tunisia.

"We can confirm the Valle di Navarra left Sarroch with a 40,000 tonne cargo and delivered it to La Skhira on April 3," said a source with the owner, who asked not to be named.

Ship tracking data provided by AIS Marine Traffic showed the ship sailed toward Tunisia at the end of March, and sailed away from Tunisia on April 4, after a five-day interlude in which there is no satellite tracking available.

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