Greece impounds 2 Russian oil tankers

Greece has seized two Russian oil tankers, Aframax tanker PEGAS and VF TANKER 2, reports from Athens said.

Both are being detained at Karystos Bay in the Petalioi Gulk in Greece for reportedly violating EU sanctions.

PEGAS is understood to have been towed to Karystos after suffering mechanical failure, while VF TANKER 2 was heading to the Black Sea but sailed through Karystos Bay for an unknown reason

Earlier this month the EU banned Russian-flagged vessels from the 27-nation bloc’s ports, with some exemptions, as it adopted new sweeping sanctions against Russia.

The Russian-flagged Pegas has 19 Russian crew members on board, the Coast Guard said.

“It has been seized as part of EU sanctions,” a shipping ministry official said.

A coastguard official said the ship’s oil cargo had not been confiscated.

The Pegas had earlier reported an engine problem.

Rough seas forced it to moor just off Karystos where it was seized, the Athens News Agency reported.