I had earlier posted about pollution ~ the charges
under which Iran took possession of Indian ship Desh Shanthi…….. shanthi
[peace] at last – that is what it appears now………… Iran’s decision to detain an
oil tanker owned by state-run Shipping Corp. of India Ltd since 13 August,
allegedly for causing pollution in its waters, has created more than ripples in India.
India which has seen Iran as an trusted ally has all
along been a major consumer from Iran ~ Iran pressurized by the UN and European
sanctions; and subsequent non-support of
reinsurance has chosen to react ugly
towards India. The vessel in news is ‘MT
Desh Shanti’ a 158,030- DWT oil tanker built in 2004, owned by the Shipping Corporation of India ~
Iranian authorities allege that the Suezmax crude-oil tanker was polluting
Iranian waters, though the companytotally delied the allegation. She
was on her way from Basra in Iraq to Visakhapatnam on India’s eastern
coast carrying crude oil for state-owned refiner Hindustan Petroleum Corp. Ltd
when it was directed by Iranian authorities to proceed to Bandar Abbas port in
Iran. Ironically, the incident came a day after finance minister P. Chidambaram
told Parliament on 12 August that the country was looking to buy more Iranian
crude without breaching UN sanctions as part of measures to shore up the rupee
and check a record high current account deficit.
Indian authorities have been contending that Iran has
detained the ship without any provocation, especially when the United Nations
Convention of the Laws of the Sea 1982 guarantees passage of the ship. Iranian
vessels had been given blanket permission to sail in Indian waters after
sanctions imposed by the European Union and the United Nations on Iranian crude
imports made it nearly impossible for Indian vessels to get protection and
indemnity cover. To complicate the
matters more, Tehran likened this to M V
Dianthe, a ship not seized but affected by the sanctions on Islamic Republic of
Iran Shipping Lines. It was learnt that arising out of sanctions,
financial transaction related to the purchase of the ship from its original
owner could not be completed. And so, the bank involved in the transaction over
the vessel initiated legal action when
the vessel was berthed in India, invoking Admiralty rules.
There was not much of news and towards the end of
Aug, after a fortnight, the Ministry of External Affairs’ Official spokesperson
went on record stating - "Foreign Secretary met the Iranian Ambassador in
South Block today for the second time since the MV Desh Shanthi was detained by
Iranian authorities; the last such meeting took place on August 16. Foreign
Secretary has conveyed Government's strong concern at the continued detention
of our ship in Port Bandar Abbas and Government of India's expectation that the
ship would be released at an early date and that crew members would be treated
with all due consideration and courtesy in keeping with international
norms. Officials of both sides will make
another effort to resolve this issue amicably.
Photo courtesy : marinetraffic.com
There appears to be relief… today’s there are reports
suggesting that Tehran has ordered the release of an Indian tanker MT Desh
Shanti detained by it for the past 24 days at its Bandar Abbas port. The development follows hectic parleys between
the two countries with India strongly objecting to the detention, saying it was
a “colourable” exercise in transgression of the UN convention on the laws of
the sea and warning of serious ramifications.
Some news agencies quote the MEA stating that Iran
has ordered its release; which the Shipping Ministry was yet to officially
confirm the release and sailing out.
While India strongly worded its protest, Iranians have been maintaining
that the detention was “purely a technical and non-political issue.”
It is yet unclear as to what helped resolve the dispute. Quoting the Port
and Maritime Organization's website,
there is news that Iran has released the ship after a deposit guarantee
was made. Who issued the guarantee is
not known. Jonathan Andrews, head of
underwriting at Steamship Mutual, where the ship is insured, declined to
comment Thursday. The owners also have
not yet confirmed the release nor on the issuance of guarantee. According to an Iranian port official in
August, the tanker was detained because it discharged wastes and water mixed
with crude near the country's Iran's Lavan island, in Persian Gulf. An
inspection of the vessel later turned up extensive violations of regulations,
including a nonfunctioning oil-and-water separation device, another official
had said.
In this background, the news of release of the tanker
today augurs well.
With regards – S. Sampathkumar
5th Sept. 2013
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