U.S. DOJ seeks to seize Iranian tanker held in Gibraltar
LONDON (Bloomberg) - The U.S. is seeking to block authorities in Gibraltar from releasing the supertanker Grace 1, which was seized last month on suspicion of hauling Iranian crude oil to Syria in violation of European sanctions.
The U.S. Department of Justice filed the last-minute request in a local court Wednesday night, a lawyer for the Gibraltar attorney general said during a court hearing in the U.K. offshore territory on Thursday. The Gibraltar government had intended to release the ship, the lawyer said.
Per the Gibraltar Chronicle, Chief Justice Anthony Dudley said that were it not for the US move, “the ship would have sailed.”
"The US Department of Justice has applied to seize the Grace 1 on a number of allegations which are now being considered," a spokesman for the Gibraltar Government said.
