Truvor

On Nov 20, 2018, the Treasury Department of the USA announced sanctions on individuals, companies and 16 ships, among them the "Truvor", which were allegedly participating in an illicit Iranian-Russian scheme to smuggle oil to Syria. The scheme allegedly provides millions of barrels of oil to Syria’s Bashar al-Assad government in defiance of US sanctions.

Russian tankers have smuggled jet fuel to Syria through EU waters, bolstering military supplies to a war-torn country where Moscow is carrying out air strikes in support of the government, according to sources with knowledge of the matter. At least two Russian-flagged ships made deliveries – which contravene EU sanctions – via Cyprus, an intelligence source with a European Union government told Reuters. There was a sharp increase in shipments in October, said the source who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter. Publicly available ship-tracking data confirms that at least two Russian tankers, the Yaz and Mukhalatka, made one trip each between September and October, stopping in Greece and Limassol in Cyprus. In Greece, the Yaz stopped at Agioi Theodoroi port but it is unclear where the Mukhalatka stopped. From Cyprus, they sailed towards Syria and Lebanon. Their tracking transponders were switched off near the coasts of those countries, according to the data. The EU intelligence source said the Mukhalatka went on to deliver jet fuel to Syria, while the other two sources said the Yaz almost certainly carried fuel to the country. All the people declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter. http://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/russian-tankers-defy-eu-ban-to-smuggle-jet-fuel-to-syria-sources/