A ship, forged fuel, and a chase at sea: Inside Lebanon’s ‘Hawk III’ vessel investigation

Report by Edmond Sassine, English adaptation by Karine Keuchkerian

Looking out toward the sea from Dbayeh’s Marina, the ship "Hawk III" remains visible — detained in Lebanon for more than six weeks.

The ship was seized on suspicion of document forgery and making illicit profits at the expense of public funds by purchasing Russian fuel oil under sanctions at discounted prices, then selling it to Lebanon at higher global market rates using forged documents claiming the fuel was not of Russian origin.

The vessel reportedly tried to flee Lebanon after unloading its cargo in September, when the forgery was discovered, but the Lebanese army intercepted it and brought it back from open waters.

The case is under investigation by a Beirut investigative judge, who has issued arrest warrants, both in person and in absentia, after the Financial Public Prosecution charged six companies and four individuals with forgery, corruption, and fraud in the purchase process for Lebanon. 

The prosecution also requested three in-person arrest warrants and one in absentia.

Alongside the judicial investigation, attention has turned to the Higher Customs Council, which has the authority to impose fines for the ship’s attempted escape and the submission of forged documents. 

According to its sources, the so-called “reconciliation file” has not yet reached the council and is awaiting referral from the Customs General Directorate, along with a proposed fine that could reach $10 million.

On a third front, the Public Procurement Authority has also taken action. Its head, Jean Ellieh, responding to a letter submitted by engineer Fawzi Mechleb, who exposed the case, said that given the scale of the violations, the purchasing authority — namely the Ministry of Energy — should issue an administrative decision barring the involved company from participating in future tenders and bids until a final court ruling is issued.

Meanwhile, the lawyer for the ship’s owner, Romanos Mouawad, told LBCI that the owner had contracted another company to operate the vessel and has no connection to the ongoing judicial process. He called for the ship’s release, saying its detention is causing his client significant daily financial losses.