Morning-Sun

Curaçao has detained the 'Regina' (IMO: 9230098), which unloaded Venezuelan oil twice in Bullen Bay in January. This was confirmed by the Curaçao Maritime Authority. It was previously discovered that the ship was sailing under a false flag, had disabled its AIS transponder, and has been on a US sanctions list for years. A second tanker carrying Venezuelan oil, the 'Morning Sun', has also been detained. This ship was moored off the coast of Sint Eustatius in pos. 17° 29' N 063° 01' W and has been detained by the Dutch authorities because Sint Eustatius is a special municipality of the Netherlands and not an autonomous country within the Kingdom, like Curaçao. On Jan 15, the 'Regina' was the first tanker to be welcomed by Prime Minister Gilmar Pisas at the Bullen Bay oil terminal, which had been idle for years. A day later, the maritime authority conducted an inspection, which found serious safety deficiencies. Among other things, the lifeboats and the ship's hospital were substandard. Furthermore, doubts arose regarding the ship's flag. The Curaçaoan authorities subsequently contacted the Netherlands. The Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate confirmed that it had supervisory authority under the Ships Act, a national law, even when it concerns the autonomous Curaçao. Last week, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the Netherlands only became aware of the false flag and other violations by the 'Regina' on Jan 21, after the newspaper's inquiries. Nevertheless, after unloading its first cargo of oil in mid-January, the ship was able to sail back to Venezuela unhindered. When the tanker docked again in Bullen Bay on Jan 28, Curaçao intervened. On Jan 29, the 'Regina' was officially detained due to the false flag and defective safety certificates. Further investigations were launched to determine whether a criminal investigation would follow and who will be considered suspects. The website of the joint Caribbean port authorities also stated that the 'Morning Sun' has been detained off the coast of Sint Eustatius. The Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate (ILT) confirms that the inspection found so many defects that the ship was no longer allowed to sail safely.