ANWAAR AFRIQYA

General information

Course/Position

Latest news

Fire which killed one was extinguished

The fire aboard the "Anwaar Afriqya" which was carrying 30,000 metric tons of gasoil from Motor Oil Hellas’s refinery in Greece, and which was attacked while anchored off Sirte in central Libya, was extinguished by the crew. The attack on the tanker killed one person and wounded another. The ship’s cargo was meant to supply the electricity station in Sirte. NOC’s Tripoli-based management condemned the attack, saying the tanker had the permission to carry the fuel to the city. The ship was struck by planes belonging to Gen. Khalifa Haftar, the head of the armed forces of the internationally recognized administration, according to Issa. The ship reached Sirte on May 22 after sailing from Agio Theodhoroi. Report with photo: http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/05/26/world/libya-government-warplanes-set-anchored-tanker-briefly-ablaze-rival-held-sirte-port/#.VWQ_4kbDE-Y

Libyan government warplanes attack ship near port of Sirte

A product tanker has been strafed by the Libyan air forces amid tensions between rival political groups. The 2004-built 35,000 dwt Anwaar Afriqya was attacked while being docked at Sirte. IHS Maritime's AISLive vessel-tracking data shows Anwaar Afriqya loaded gasoil in Piraeus, Greece, in mid-May and arrived in Sirte on 22 May. The vessel, operated by state-owned General National Maritime Transport Co (GNMTC), was chartered by Libya's National Oil Corporation. According to media reports, one person was killed in the attack. The internationally recognised government in exile in Benghazi claimed that the vessel was carrying reinforcements and weapons for the rival regime in Tripoli. "Our jets warned an unflagged ship off Sirte city, but it ignored the warning," government official Saqer al-Joroushi told Reuters. "We gave it a chance to evaluate the situation, then our fighting jets attacked the ship because it was unloading fighters and weapons. "The ship is now on fire. We are in war and we do not accept any security breaches, whether by land, air, or sea." It is not the first time Anwaar Afriqya has been caught in the political tensions. In March 2011, the tanker was hijacked by a group of armed rebels and diverted to the Port of Tobruk near the border with Egypt. The rebels eventually returned the tanker to GNMTC. http://www.ihsmaritime360.com/article/18023/libyan-air-force-strafes-tanker

Detained tanker released from Libyan government

The "Anwaar Afriaya" which was diverted by the recognised Libyan government on Jan 25, 2015, has been released from the port of Tobruk after no weapons were found onboard the tanker. The ship was diverted to the government-controlled port of Tobruk from its original destination of Misrata. Forces detained the vessel on suspicion that it was delivering weapons to rebel forces in the west of the country. The vessel, which was carrying 24,000 tonnes of fuel oil, was inspected by authorities at Tobruk, before being allowed to continue its voyage to rebel-held territory.