Danish ship fuel company Dan-Bunkering has refuted domestic claims that it violated EU sanctions by supplying jet fuel to Syria.
The company, part of Bunker Holding, has faced a number of allegations from public service broadcaster DR in recent days.
It told TradeWinds: "Dan-Bunkering wants to make it clear that the company has not supplied jet fuel or any other products to Syria in violation of the EU sanctions.
"An advanced compliance system ensures that the company does not deliver fuel to counterparts on the official sanctions lists."
It added that none of its bunker delivery receipt (BDR) documents related to ships mentioned by DR showed ports in Syria as their destinations.
The company updates 2,000 sanctions lists from authorities and industry organisations worldwide on a daily basis, it said.
"This means that sanctioned trading partners and ships that appear on an official sanctions list are blocked in the system. Therefore, Dan-Bunkering can confirm that the company is not trading with sanctioned parties," it added.
The company has also been named by DR as being involved in a US legal case relating to the shipments.
Not party to US case
A European bunker company was mentioned in court papers, but not named.
TradeWinds reported in January that the US government launched court action to seize almost $3m from a Russian freight forwarder over an alleged money-laundering scheme that it claims was designed to evade US sanctions.
Over the course of one year, court documents state Sovfracht wired $48.1m to pay Russian shipowner Transpetrochart for ship-to-ship delivery of jet fuel to an unnamed foreign trading company and the European bunkering outfit for ultimate delivery to Syria’s Port Baniyas.
Dan-Bunkering said: "Dan-Bunkering is not a party to this case but has contributed to the elucidation of it.
"The US prosecutor has reviewed the case and expressed its satisfaction with Dan-Bunkering's positive contribution."
The company also said that in 2016 it was contacted by the Danish Business Authority asking it whether the company had been involved in fuel deliveries to Syria.
It responded in January 2017 and heard nothing more.
"The case was later routinely passed on to the police, who did not find grounds for pressing charges," it added.
"Moreover, until recently Dan-Bunkering was not aware that a police report had been filed against the company."
The ships involved in the US case were the 6,600-dwt Mukhalatka (built 2013) and 6,600-dwt Yaz (built 2014).
Sovfracht failed to respond to an email from TradeWinds.
