Oil tanker

Challenging international sanctions, Russia has commenced direct oil supplies to North Korea, bolstering ties between the two authoritarian regimes and undermining efforts to contain Pyongyang's activities.

Greece's Okeanis Eco Tankers Corporation is evolving into an international investment platform after its listing on the New York Stock Exchange in December, thanks to an impressive performance even compared to all fellow listed tanker companies.

A correspondent on-site in Iran visited the Greek-owned oil tanker St Nikolas, confirming the crew's safety, after the vessel was seized on Thursday by the Iranian navy, as was announced by its managing company, Greek-based Empire Navigations on Monday.  

All crew members of the Greek-owned oil tanker St Nikolas, which was seized on Thursday by the Iranian navy, anchored in Bandar Abbas, Iran, are reported to be in good health and safe, as was announced by the vessel's management company Empire Navigation. 

Greek shipping company Empire Navigation confirmed their well-being after contacting Iranian authorities. 

Iran's navy seized St Nikolas, the oil tanker associated with the Greek shipping company Empire Navigation, on Thursday in the Gulf of Oman, Iranian media reported.  The oil tanker was once at the center of a major crisis between Tehran and Washington, officials said, a seizure that further escalated tensions in the Mideast waterways.

The operator of the oil tanker St Nikolas, Greece-based Empire Navigation, said on Thursday it had lost contact with the vessel off Oman near the city of Sohar.

A spokesperson, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the vessel had a crew of 19, one from Greece and 18 from the Philippines, and was carrying 145,000 metric tons of oil from Basra, Iraq, to Aliaga, Turkey.

Black Sea tankers traveling with crude oil for "Lukoil" from Novorossiysk to the "Rosenets" terminal near the Bulgarian city of Burgas are a legitimate military target of the Ukrainian army. This became clear from the words of Volodymyr Zelensky's economic advisor Oleg Ustenko.

At least four Chinese-owned supertankers are shipping Russian Urals crude to China, according to trading sources and tracking data, as Moscow seeks vessels for exports after a G7 oil price cap restricted the use of Western cargo services and insurance.

Egypt has said that it will increase transit fees for vessels, including oil-laden tankers, passing through Suez Canal, one of the world's most crucial waterways.

The Suez Canal Authority said in a statement on Sept. 17 that it will add 15 percent to the fees for tankers carrying oil and petroleum products, and 10 percent for dry bulk carriers and cruise ships.

The oil tanker could carry up to two million barrels of oil per day