Iran ships stranded in Brazil to depart this weekend

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil – Two Iranian ships stranded off the coast of Brazil for weeks will set sail this weekend, officials said Saturday, July 27, after a court ordered state oil giant Petrobras to fill up the vessels.

The bulk carriers have been stuck at Paranagua port in the southern state of Parana since early last month after Petrobras refused to provide fuel for fear of breaching United States sanctions.

The port administrator said the dispute “ends this weekend.”

The Bavand, which is loaded with corn, will receive 1,300 tons of fuel, Portos do Parana said in a statement. The Termeh will get 600 tons.

Petrobras would not confirm if it was complying with the Supreme Court order handed down Thursday, July 25, for it to refuel the ships.

A spokesperson for Eleva Quimica, the Brazilian company which contracted the vessels, said refueling started in the early hours of Saturday and would finish later in the day. They would depart this weekend.

The Supreme Court order came after Iran’s top envoy to Brazil told Bloomberg that Tehran could suspend imports from Brazil if the issue was not resolved.

The ships had reportedly brought urea, which is used to make fertilizer, to Brazil and were to transport corn back to Iran.

Petrobras had said the Iranian vessels and the Iranian company that owns those ships – reportedly Sapid Shipping – were sanctioned by the United States.

“If Petrobras were to supply these vessels, it would be subject to the risk of being included in the same list, which could cause serious damages to the company,” it said in an earlier statement.

Washington has imposed a raft of punitive measures on Tehran and companies with ties to the Islamic republic since President Donald Trump pulled the US out of a landmark multinational nuclear pact last year. – Rappler.com