Two Iranian-owned oil tankers are sailing to Rotterdam for the first time since sanctions on the country were lifted last year, reports Reuters.
The supertankers Snow and Huge, owned by National Iranian Tanker Co (NITC), loaded crude oil at Iran’s Kharg Island and are now en route with 2m barrels of oil each to Rotterdam, according to tracking data.
Although sanctions were eased at the beginning of last year, NITC’s own operations were hampered due to their difficulty in securing international insurance cover for their fleet and in getting safety certifications.
Last week, NITC managing director Sirus Kianersi said the first Iranian crude tanker, leased to a major Spanish oil company, had berthed at the port of Algeciras after the resolution of insurance, classing, flagging and international certification issues.