IRGC seize Togo-flagged tanker during smuggling attempt
2 Min Read
Iran's IRGC seizes a Togo-flagged tanker attempting to smuggle hundreds of thousands of liters of oil out of Iran.
-
In this photo released on June 10, 2021, by the Iranian army, an Iranian warship moves in the Atlantic Ocean. (AP)
Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy seized a Togo-flagged tanker attempting to smuggle hundreds of thousands of liters of oil out of the country, marking the second such operation in a week.
The IRGC's Sepah News outlet reported on Monday that the seizure was announced by the Navy's regional maritime security division.
According to the statement, the seizure occurred on Friday as the vessel loaded smuggled oil near the Arash Oilfield in the northern Gulf. The vessel, named Pearl G, is owned by a Dubai-based Iraqi national.
The tanker, carrying nine Indian crewmembers and approximately 700,000 liters of smuggled oil at the time of its confiscation, was then towed to Imam Khomeini Port in the southwestern Iranian province of Khuzestan.
Earlier, the IRGC announced on Monday that its naval force seized an oil tanker alongside 12 members of its crew off the coast of the southern Iranian city of Bushehr.
The Togolese Betelgeuse vessel was reportedly smuggling 1.5 million liters of oil and was taken to Iranian waters following a judiciary order.
"The vessel was brought to the port of Bushehr, along with its 12 crew members, who are of Indian and Sri Lankan nationality," the Sepah News website said.
