Seavictory - oil-laden tanker never made it to Immingham (photo: vesselfinder.com)
UNCERTAINTY continues to surround the fate of a tanker laden with oil from Russia
Shortly after daybreak on Sunday March 27, Seavictory reached UK waters from the Russian port of Tuapse.
She had left the Black Sea port on March 11 and was due to have offloaded her cargo at the port of Immingham - but she never reached her destination.
Seavictory sails under the flag of Malta, not Russia, but to have allowed import of goods from such a controversial source would have breached Government-imposed sanctions.
It is understood that ABP Humber management is also mindful of the resentment of port employees at having had to unload previous Russian consignments - one of oil to Immingham and another of fish to Grimsby - given that such trade had been helping to fund Putin war cruelty.
As of this morning, to the exasperation of her skipper and crew, Seavictory remains at anchor just outside the Humber estuary pending a decision on what should happen next.
It is not clear if Government ministers are addressing the problem.
If no port is willing to accept the cargo, the only option may be for her return to Russia.
In the meaantime, Seavictory is bobbing about off Withernsea on the Yorkshire coast - not an ideal location for an oil tanker, should there be a mishap, given that seabirds such as puffins, gannets, guillemots and kittiwakes are currently arriving to nest on the RSPB's sea cliffs reserve at nearby Bempton.
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