Iraqi Oil Shipment Seized
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PORT ARTHUR, Tex. — Customs officials seized a shipload of Iraqi crude oil this morning at Port Arthur because it violated the trade embargo, authorities said.
The nearly 500,000 gallons of Iraqi crude on the Swedish-flagged vessel Thoraas were seized because the shipment was paid for Monday in violation of the U.S. embargo on Iraqi oil, said Customs spokeswoman Donna De La Torre. The embargo began at 5 a.m. Thursday after Iraq invaded Kuwait.
Customs seized the oil from Bay Oil Co. “based on the fact that the Iraqi government has already been paid,” De La Torre said.
The ship was detained, but not seized, she added, until Customs determines what to do with the oil aboard.
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