Sunken tanker reveals signs of fuel smuggling

Speculation intensified on Wednesday about the activities of fuel smuggling rackets in Greece following the arrest of the captain and first engineer of a vessel helping to clean up the oil spill from the sunken Agia Zoni II tanker. 

The unnamed crew members of the Lassaia vessel were taken into custody after an inspection by customs and coast guard authorities turned up significant quantities of fuel in the ship's hold that was not legally accounted for.

The ship, which was part of the fleet pumping fuel from the sunken Agia Zoni II, has been seized as part of an investigation launched into the provenance of its cargo.

Thodoros Kountouris, the owner of the Agia Zoni, also arranged for the Lassaia to be used in the transfer of 1,550 cubic meters of oil, Kathimerini understands.

Kountouris, who insists that the Agia Zoni is not solely responsible for the oil...