The second Iranian ship MV Bavant, which was waiting for fuel at the Paranaguá port, in the southern state of Paraná, was fueled and set off Sunday (Jul 28) for the Bandar Imam Khomeini port, in Iran.
The ship is carrying 48 tons of corn and received 1.3 thousand tons of fuel. This vessel, along with MV Termeh—also Iranian, which left the port Saturday (27)—had been stuck for some 50 days at Paranaguá because Petrobras refused to fuel the ships with the Iranian flag. Together, the two vessels are estimated to carry 100 thousand tons of corn—a total of approximately $26.5 million.
As the Iranian government has faced sanctions imposed by the US, Petrobras feared losses stemming from the violation of US embargo law. However, on Wednesday (24), Supreme Court Chief Justice Dias Toffoli ruled that the oil giant should fuel the ships.
“The Supreme Court decision guaranteed the conclusion of a corn export operation by a Brazilian company not subjected to sanctions imposed by US authorities. It has been understood that Petrobras could not face sanctions for providing this fuel to these two ships, not least because it is complying with a court decision,” said Rodrigo Cotta, a lawyer at Kincaid Mendes Vianna, representing company Eleva, which chartered the vessels to export corn.
