Libya lays up oil tankers, Gaddafi feels trade heat
By Jonathan Saul
LONDON, July 6 (Reuters) – Many oil tankers in Libya’s state-owned fleet remain anchored and unable to trade as cash flow issues continue to bite, a company managing some of their vessels said on Wednesday.
Crude oil shipments from Libya, once Africa’s third largest producer, have been at a virtual standstill for months as leader Muammar Gaddafi has faced international pressure and sanctions while he fights to hold power during a bloody uprising.
While Libya’s state-owned shipping firm General National Maritime Transport Company (GNMTC) is not targeted by sanctions, the tanker group is believed to be controlled by Gaddafi’s son Hannibal, who is on a blacklist of individuals subject to travel bans and asset freezes.
“GNMTC is not on the list of designated individuals and entities; however Hannibal Gaddafi is, of course, on the list,” said Laura Hamilton, an associate at law firm Norton Rose.
“The asset freeze not only applies to assets owned by the entities and individuals listed but also to assets held or controlled by them, hence the need for careful due diligence.”
GNTMC has 18 vessels in its international trading fleet, seven of which are managed by the company and a further three by outside ship managers. The remaining eight are run by ship management firm V.Ships, a V.Ships spokesman said.
Reuters Thu Jul 7, 2011 3:30am GMTThe visit by Chen Xiaodong, China’s foreign ministry chief for North African affairs, was the second official meeting between China and Libyan opposition leaders in less than a month and comes as rebels advanced on Gaddafi’s stronghold in Tripoli on Wednesday.
Chen told the deputy head of the NTC Ali Essawi that China considered the faction “an important dialogue partner,” echoing comments made by senior Chinese officials on rebel diplomatic chief Mahmoud Jibril’s visit to Beijing in late June.
Chen is the most senior official yet to hold talks with the NTC in Libya, although a Chinese diplomat based in Egypt visited the Libyan rebels in Benghazi for the first time in early June.
China, never very close to Gaddafi, also hosted Libya’s Foreign Minister Abdelati Obeidi in early June. But Beijing’s courting of the rebels has marked something of a practical policy adjustment for China, which generally avoids entangling itself in nations’ domestic affairs.
Chen said China was “deeply concerned” about the five-month-old civil war and attached “great importance to the NTC’s role in solving the crisis”, official news agency Xinhua reported.
The combatants should begin substantial talks on ceasing hostilities and make a positive response to the international community’s mediation proposal, he added.
Reports that Gaddafi was seeking a deal under which he would step down have come amid pressure from advancing opposition forces, sanctions, and a NATO bombing campaign.
His government has denied any such negotiations are underway, and NATO’s chief has said he had no confirmation that Gaddafi was looking for a deal to relinquish power.
China was among the emerging powers that abstained in March when the United Nations Security Council authorised NATO-led air strikes to stop Gaddafi’s forces from threatening civilians. China could have used its veto power as a permanent member.
But it also condemned the strikes, and has repeatedly called for a ceasefire and political compromise. (Reporting by Michael Martina; Editing by Ben Blanchard and Yoko Nishikawa)