Incredible but true. The American army imported – without his knowledge – a large amount of oil of Russian origin with a Greek refinery. How did this transaction occur? Explanations.
An investigation by the Washington Post shows how the US Department of State for Viole Defense – without knowing it – the sanctions imposed by Biden administration in Russia to buy Russian oil.
The Greek refinery, a key supplier of the Pentagon, is called Motor Oil Hellas. This company finalized a 910 million euros contract with Washington. Until then, everything is in order.
Except that to get around the embargo, this company took advantage of a ploy between Moscow, the United Arab Emirates and Turkey to hide the Russian origin of its products.
Indeed, the refinery has set up a new export route by which Russian oil transits by boats on the Black Sea and then by the Mediterranean to arrive in the Turkish city of Dörtyol.
During their boat trip, the Russian cargoes are purchased by a company based in the United Arab Emirates. When fuel oil is transported to Türkiye, it is bought this time by the national oil company of Ankara.
It is only after all these transactions that oil is finally imported by Motor Oil Hellas. All these steps make it possible to hide the Russian origin of products because they have changed hands several times before arriving on Greek territory in the Aegean Sea. The refinery then resells this unidentified oil to the American army.
The ship’s monitoring registers and commercial data have revealed that since the entry into force of the European Union and G7 sanctions on Moscow products, Russian deliveries to Dörtyol have raised 2.7 million barrels, more than 69% of the fuel oil stored in this city.
“The exact quantity of fuel oil from Russian origin in the resources purchased by the Pentagon could not be determined. These products are refined using multiple ingredients that cannot all be followed throughout production, ”said the Washington Post.
Motor Oil Hellas said in a statement that “the company does not buy, does not deal with and does not market oil or Russian products. All of its imports are certified of non -sanctioned origin ”.
However, the company did not want to answer questions from the Washington Post to show how it ensures the accuracy of the certifications given to the oil it buys.
The Pentagon would not be the only involuntary Russian oil buyer. Motor Oil Hellas has also sold more than a million barrels to government and private buyers in Italy, France, Spain and the United Kingdom, according to the ship’s monitoring registers.
