World News
Stena Oil Accuses West African Nation of "De Facto Piracy"
Stena Oil is accusing the West African republic of São Tomé e Príncipe of "de facto piracy" four months after the nation seized two ships chartered by the Swedish oil company for alleged smuggling.
"In a region where international shipping is suffering daily from the threat of piracy, São Tomé has now introduced a new threat: de facto piracy by a sovereign state in the form of illegal confiscation of ships and cargo," Stena Oil said in a statement.
"Therefore, we are sharing this information with the international community as a warning for those who are doing business in or near the republic of São Tomé e Príncipe."
The nation confiscated the two ships and their cargoes, sentenced their captains to three years of imprisonment, and imposed a fine of €5 million ($6.4 million) after what Stena Oil calls a "show trial."
"Neither the ship owners nor Stena Oil have been given the opportunity by any court to clear the false allegations against them," the company said.
"The São Tomé court has refused to consider evidence that would clearly prove the innocence of all the accused parties, including the captains who have now been imprisoned.
"After nearly four months, the situation remains unresolved and has thus far cost Stena Oil and the owners of the ships more than 3 million USD."
Maritime Denmark reported in April that the case concerned the Turkish-owned Düzgit Integrity and the German-owned Marida Melissa, and that the captains, a Turk and a Ukrainian, were sentenced to three years in prison at the end of March.
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