"Energy": This is the context of the oil tanker "BASILIS L" and may God protect Lebanon from the "Temple Merchants"

Issued by the Media Office of the Minister of Energy and Water, Joe Al-Siddi, a statement stating:

"The Free Patriotic Movement MP Charbel Maroun appeared on the platform 'Spot Shoot' belonging to LebanonDebate, known for its performance and suspicious agendas, on Friday 19/6/2026, raising the issue of the oil tanker 'BASILIS L' whose unloading was delayed, contrary to the facts and circumstances, serving the narrative of his 'current' which seeks to throw its sins and generalize its failed and suspicious performance onto others, perhaps so that the Lebanese place all parties in the category of the performance of the 'Free Patriotic Movement' ministry. However, the facts and steps taken by the Ministry of Energy and Water refute Maroun's false claims.

Therefore, to prevent misleading the Lebanese by those who have mastered that, we clarify the context of the oil tanker 'BASILIS L':

* On 8/1/2026, in response to a request from the Lebanese Army and the need of the security forces and public institutions contracted with the Oil Installations in the Ministry of Energy, the latter launched tender No. 312 for the purchase of diesel oil.

* On 18/2/2026, the contract was signed with the winning company of the tender. At that time, the estimated price of the ship was about /25393000/ USD.

* On 8/3/2026, the first ship of the contract, KRITI CAPTAIN, loaded on 3/3/2026, arrived and its price of /30482215/ USD was paid, because, according to the contract text, the ship's price is calculated based on the average price during the five days preceding the loading day, the loading day, and the five days following the loading day.

* Upon unloading the ship, the Ministry of Energy contacted the supplying company and asked it to postpone the second shipment of the contract to the date of 20-25 May 2026. The company agreed in principle. This step refutes what MP Maroun and the 'Free Patriotic Movement' claim.

* The postponement step was not proceeded with after the security institutions expressed their need for its delivery in late March - early April to ensure the continuity of obtaining diesel fuel in light of the war conditions the country and region are experiencing and the emerging crisis due to the situation in the Strait of Hormuz and for fear of it not arriving.

* On 28/3/2026, the ship BASILIS L arrived, loaded on 26/3/2026, whose price had become about /50000000/ USD.

* On the date of the ship's arrival, the funds belonging to the security institutions, the Lebanese Army, and public institutions had not been transferred to the Installations account. Also, transferring these funds at the central bank from the Lebanese lira to the US dollar took longer than usually expected.

* In order to speed up collecting the ship's price, the Oil Installations tried to sell the local market from Zahrani but did not succeed due to the security conditions in the south.

* On 14/5/2026, the ship's price was completed in the Installations account and the credit was opened on 15/5/2026.

* A new problem emerged with the correspondent bank refusing to reinforce the credit without informing the Bank of Lebanon of the reasons that led to the refusal. Note that the correspondent bank had previously reinforced several credits for the supplying company, and had previously approved the credit for this ship.

* At that point, the 'Bank of Lebanon' began attempting to open the credit and reinforce it with other correspondent banks.

* In light of all the above, the Oil Installations bore, firstly, the unexpected global price difference resulting from the war, and secondly, delay penalties for over 70 days amounting to /18000/ USD per day according to the contract, i.e., the equivalent of /1260000/ USD.

* On 4/7/2026, the Ministry of Energy and Water was informed of a response from the 'Bank of Lebanon' stating that another bank had agreed to reinforce the credit.

* On 6/7/2026, the ship was unloaded at the Oil Installations in Tripoli.

In conclusion, while the Lebanese state and government, including the Ministry of Energy and its head Minister Joe Al-Siddi, are engaged in taking all possible measures to mitigate the catastrophic repercussions of the war into which Lebanon was dragged, it seems that MP Maroun and his current are insistent on trading in people's pain and obstructing the efforts made to alleviate this pain in order to beg for crumbs of 'imaginary victories' in politics... May God protect Lebanon and its people from the 'Temple Merchants'..."