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| The ship carrying contraband oil, photo by the Albanian police |
In Albania, the Durres police announced today that they have blocked a ship with 22,500 tons of oil, the origin of which is suspected to be Russia. The ship "Grace Felix", with a Liberian flag, was located for several days about 5 miles from the coast of Durrës and had started the procedures for unloading the oil, the approximate value of which, according to the stock exchange, is more than 18 million dollars.
According to the submitted documentation, the vessel had departed from Azerbaijan and was then loaded with oil at the port of Kalamata, Greece, from another vessel. But police said they had "reasonable suspicions" that the amount of oil had "originated from embargoed countries and was smuggled, as proper documentation was not available". As a result, the amount of fuel and navigation documentation was seized, while the captain and 22 crew members were detained pending further verifications.