Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps announced it has seized a Togo-flagged oil tanker carrying more than 700,000 liters of fuel in the Gulf, the second such seizure in less than a week.
In a statement, the IRGC said the Togo-flagged “Pearl G” tanker with its nine crew members, who have Indian nationality, was seized by the forces of its Navy's third region on Friday morning following a judicial order.
“Pearl G, which is owned by an Iraqi national residing in the UAE, was offloading smuggled oil from Iranian vessels,” Tasnim reported, adding the vessel had been moved to the port of Bandar Imam Khomeini.
Last week, the IRGC seized another Togo-flagged tanker carrying 1,500 tons of marine gas oil.
British security firm Ambrey said last Monday the vessel had loaded marine gas oil off the coast of Iraq and was destined for UAE's Sharjah when it was intercepted on Sunday, 61 nautical miles southwest of Iran's port of Bushehr.
The Navy confirmed seizure in a statement quoted by Iran's state news agency, saying: “The tanker was systematically engaged in fuel smuggling ... and was seized in the depths of Bushehr's coast by judicial order.”
“The vessel, along with its 12 crew members of Indian and Sri Lankan nationals, has been transferred to Bushehr anchorage and is under supervision,” it added.
Iran, which has some of the world's cheapest fuel due to subsidies and the plunge in the value of its currency, has been fighting rampant smuggling by land to neighboring countries and by sea to other states.
Ambrey said the incident had no political motives but was likely a counter-smuggling operation.
In late January, Iran seized a vessel with the flag of a country from Oceania carrying two million liters of allegedly smuggled fuel.
In May, Iran released seven crew members from a Portuguese-flagged container ship, seized on April 13, after accusing them of links to its arch-foe Israel.
Fuel prices in Iran are among the lowest globally, increasing the profitability of smuggling operations.
But experts previously said that Iran's circumvention of oil sanctions is among the main reasons for the worsening phenomenon of fuel smuggling.
Iran’s Nour News Agency said last December that fuel smuggling was estimated at 20 million liters per day, equivalent to $5 billion.
