US adds Turkish companies, individuals to Syria sanctions list

WASHINGTON

The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) on Aug. 3 placed sanctions on a dozen companies and institutions for their role in the ongoing conflict in Syria.

The Treasury Department added the names of several shipping and energy companies, including Aqua Shipping and Milenyum Energy S.A. in Turkey, to a sanctions list published online, as reported by Reuters. It also added to the list four Turkish individuals tied to Milenyum Energy.

Milenyum Energy, a company registered in Panama and operating in Turkey, was designated (pursuant to E.O. 13582) for having materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services in support of, and having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, the U.S.- and E.U.-designated Abdulkarim Group and Wael Abdulkarim, said the statement. 

“Milenyum was also designated for having materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services in support of, the government of Syria.  In recent years, Milenyum has responded to the Syrian regime’s energy needs by regularly arranging for the shipment of products such as liquefied petroleum gas [LPG] and gasoil to the Syrian Government-controlled port of Banias, likely for SYTROL or other Syrian government entities,” it added. 

“[The] Treasury will continue to employ its robust financial tools to weaken [Syrian President Bashar al-]Assad’s support network,” said Acting Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Adam J. Szubin. 

“These targeted sanctions intensify the economic and financial pressure on the Syrian government to cease its campaign of violence against its people,” he said.

According to the statement, The Eagles, another company, was among several companies doing business with the U.S- and E.U.-designated Syrian Petroleum Marketing Department (SYTROL).  

“In early March 2015, Wael Abdulkarim worked with The Eagles to pay Milenyum Energy S.A. [Milenyum] nearly $5 million for a shipment of gasoil that Milenyum was believed to have provided to The Eagles for shipment to Syria,” it added. 

Green Shipping Ltd. was also designated for being owned and controlled by, and acting for or on behalf of Milenyum. Aqua Shipping Ltd. was designated for being owned and controlled by Milenyum.   

“As of March 2015, Milenyum has used Green Shipping Ltd. and Aqua Shipping Ltd. as front companies to register ownership of vessels,” said the statement.