Ghost ships carrying Venezuelan oil detained. The Dutch revealed false flags

The Dutch inspection and Curacao authorities detained the Regina and Morning Sun tankers carrying Venezuelan crude oil. The reasons included, among others: doubts related to their safety and flag. The incident complicates oil transports resumed after the abduction of Nicolas Maduro by the US, reported the NRC daily and the Curacao.nu website.

Authorities on the island of Curacao, an autonomous territory of the Netherlands in Central America, detained the tanker Regina, which was unloading Venezuelan oil twice at the Bullenbaai terminal in January, confirmed the Maritime Authority of Curacao (MAC). At the same time, the Dutch Environment and Transport Inspectorate (ILT) detained a second tanker, Morning Sun, off the coast of the Dutch island of Sint Eustatius.

According to previous findings quoted on Saturday by “NRC”, Regina was sailing under the false flag of the Asian East Timor, had its mandatory transponder turned off and had been on the US sanctions list for years. MAC reports that after the ship's first arrival in Curacao, an inspection was carried out which revealed safety deficiencies, including: regarding lifesaving equipment and medical facilities on board.

As reported, the issue of the unit's flag also raised doubts. ILT, acting as a supervisory authority in the field of the so-called Act on Ships, was involved in the verification of the ship's documents and registration. “NRC” reminds that the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, when asked by the newspaper, claimed that it learned about possible violations only after journalists' questions on January 21.

Regina – after unloading the first batch of oil in mid-January – could still return to Venezuela. When it docked again in Bullenbaai on January 28, the Curacao authorities took action, and on January 29 the ship was formally detained, among other things. due to false flag and incorrect safety certificates.

In the case of Morning Sun, ILT reported that the inspection found so many defects that the ship could not safely sail. The unit was detained on January 27 off the coast of the island of Sint Eustatius, which is a municipality of the Netherlands and not – like autonomous Curacao – a separate country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

The NRC estimates that the detention of both tankers constitutes an obstacle to oil transports that were to be resumed after the abduction of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro by the US. White House announcements and information from Trafigura – quoted by the newspaper – indicate that oil from Regina was stored in Curacao at the request of the US and was to be traded for the benefit of the US and Venezuela. Trafigura did not comment on the matter.

From The Hague Patryk Kulpok (PAP)

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