US asks court for immediate sale of seized tanker Skipper and its cargo

The US government has asked the federal court in Washington DC for an immediate sale of the seized tanker Skipper and its oil, The Maritime Executive reports. The government says it has already spent $47 million on repairs, maintenance and storage of the cargo, which has been landed ashore, and expects more costs. The 310,000-dwt ship was seized in December carrying about 1.8 million barrels of Venezuelan crude, roughly 1.1 million of them destined for Cuba, and was sailing without valid registry or class.

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