On October 2 of this year, the thermal vessel “KAYSERI,” sailing under the Panamanian flag, entered the Kulevi seaport from a port in the Russian Federation, carrying up to 10,000 tons of crude oil intended for import customs procedures, shipped from one of the Russian companies (the agency refrains from naming the companies and disclosing tax-confidential information), and no international sanctions apply to the shipper and recipient companies, the Revenue Service of the Ministry of Finance stated in a release.
As noted in the statement, the information circulating in the media serves to mislead the public.
“The Revenue Service of the Ministry of Finance of Georgia deems it necessary to issue a statement regarding the vessel sailing under the Panamanian flag that entered Kulevi seaport and its cargo, out of high public interest.
On October 2 of this year, the thermal vessel ‘KAYSERI,’ sailing under the Panamanian flag, entered the Kulevi seaport from a port in the Russian Federation, carrying up to 10,000 tons of crude oil shipped from one of the Russian companies (the agency refrains from naming the companies and disclosing tax-confidential information), intended for import customs procedures.
Following checks conducted by the Maritime Transport Agency of the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia and the Revenue Service, it has been confirmed that no international sanctions apply to the vessel or its owner company, nor to the shipper and recipient companies (information is available from open sources). Accordingly, the cargo was unloaded into a temporary storage customs warehouse for the purpose of carrying out subsequent customs control procedures.
The Revenue Service of the Ministry of Finance and the Maritime Transport Agency of Georgia coordinately and continuously carry out checks of both vessels and their owners in relation to international sanctions, and if a vessel or its owner is on the sanctions list, it is not granted permission to enter Georgia’s seaports or carry out customs procedures.
We declare with full responsibility that the disseminated information serves to mislead the public,” the statement reads.
For reference, Reuters reports that Russia sent the first batch of oil to Georgia’s oil refinery. Reuters disseminates this information based on ship tracking data and industry sources.
According to tracking data and the source, on October 6, the tanker “Kayseri” delivered 105,340 tons of Russian “Siberian Light” class crude oil from Russia’s Novorossiysk Black Sea port to the Kulevi oil terminal.
Revenue Service issues statement on the “KAYSERI” vessel sailing under the Panamanian flag, which entered from a Russian port carrying oil from one of the Russian companies
