Tag: hurd’s bank
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Hurd’s Bank becomes part of the Baniyas Line: Russian vessels in Syria persist
The Syrian port of Baniyas is rapidly emerging as a major oil transshipment and export hub in the Mediterranean as Iraq seeks alternative routes for its oil exports following war and disruption in the Strait of Hormuz. Iraqi oil products that would traditionally have been exported through the Gulf are increasingly being transported overland by…
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Indian-owned tanker anchors in Hurd’s Bank with Russian oil cargo
The Indian-owned, Liberian-flagged oil tanker Ocean Dragon has anchored at Hurd’s Bank after arriving from the Port of Murmansk, Russia. Vessels arriving at Hurd’s Bank with Russian oil cargoes often sell them in the area, where offshore oil transfers can take place freely. The vessel was previously named the Archangelos Michail and is owned by…
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France’s seizure of Deliver came during heightened unusual activity in Hurd’s Bank
The seizure of the Russian shadow-fleet tanker Deliver by France on Tuesday last week came amid heightened and unusual activity at Hurd’s Bank. Over the past two weeks, the number of oil tankers anchoring at Hurd’s Bank has increased, along with the passage of oil vessels attempting to conceal the provenance of their cargo —…
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Unusual vessel detected: Malta Prosperity
A large oil tanker called the Malta Prosperity (IMO: 9389033) has been tagged in our investigations on Russian oil trading as a high risk vessel. The vessel is being described as high risk due to its lengthy times at anchorage including a long period anchored at Hurd’s Bank, without having a clear identified source of…
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Mafia State or not Mafia State?
In March the Prime Minister protested against “Opposition blogs” saying they are giving the wrong impression that Malta is a Mafia State. Yesterday, the Prime Minister told us that the biggest oil-contrabandist in Malta pitched him a gas and oil terminal project in Hurd’s Bank which is the same one being pitched by the Nationalist…
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Opposition Leader tells the Prime Minister to report his claims to the Police during mass rally in Birkirkara
At a mass political rally in Birkirkara, Opposition Leader Alex Borg urged the Prime Minister to file a Police report over claims he made that the proposals handed to him for the gas and oil terminal in Hurd’s Bank were proposed by “Malta’s biggest oil-contrabandist”. Earlier today, Prime Minister Robert Abela made gave these comments…
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Dreaming big is amazing – but Alex Borg seems to be surrounded by the wrong people
Theoretically, having a young Opposition Leader should have inspired us to dream about big changes and Alex Borg is struggling to deliver these big ideas for systematic change in Malta. Instead he is mimicking Labour and trying to be a better version of it, but while doing so he is failing to capture a wave…
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Maltese-Flagged ship goes straight to Russia after parking in Hurd’s Bank
A suspicious vessel which may be part of Russia’s shadow fleet is sailing straight to Saint Petersburg, Russia after anchoring in Hurd’s Bank last April. The Malta flagged-vessel Agapi 1 (IMO: 9697210), spent nearly two weeks anchored at Hurd’s Bank before sailing to Saint Petersburg. Hurd’s Bank is used by many ships for offshore-refueling including…
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Opposition Leader announces oil and gas bunkering in Hurd’s Bank as “new economic niche”
Opposition Leader Alex Borg announced earlier today that he pledges to create a new Maritime Hub in Hurd’s Bank to create “a new economic niche”. He said that the new economic niche will serve to provide bunkering services to ships passing through Hurd’s Bank, and added that the maritime hub will be mounted with a…
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Darren Debono’s junk spotted outside Hurd’s Bank as illegal activity makes a big comeback
Darren Debono’s sanctioned junk-vessel which had been used to traffic Libyan oil has been spotted outside Hurd’s Bank earlier today as illegal and unusual activity in the area makes a comeback. The vessel owned by Darren Debono’s company, Andrea Martina, is still under sanctions by the US Treasury. The junk vessel, Zeus, is owned by…
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Unusual and illicit activity returns with a bang in Hurd’s Bank
Illicit activity in Hurd’s Bank winded down following the attack on the Arctic Metagaz, but it seems to be picking up again. The Arctic Metagaz has finally been salvaged by the Libyan authorities. Unusual and illicit activity has a returned in Hurd’s Bank during the past few days with sanctioned vessels passing and anchoring through…
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Illegal activity in Hurd’s Bank goes down as sanctioned vessels go to Port Said instead
Illegal activity in Hurd’s Bank is going down as monitoring and surveillance of the area has increased significantly following the attack ion the Arctic Metagaz with the Maltese authorities intending to ensure that such an attack doesn’t take place again off its coast. Maltese authorities have become increasingly vigilant of the area and are putting…
