India steps up surveillance after seizing Iranian-linked US sanctioned tankers
India has taken three U.S. sanctioned tanker ships linked to Iran this month, and increased surveillance in its maritime zone to stop illicit trade. A source with first-hand knowledge of the issue said that on Monday.
The source said that India wants to stop ship-to-ship transfers which hide the origin of oil cargoes from using its waters. The increased surveillance and seizures are a result of 'an improvement in U.S. India relations. Washington announced earlier this month that it would reduce import tariffs for?Indian products to 18%, from 50%. This is because New Delhi agreed to stop Russian crude oil imports.
The?source stated that sanctioned?vessels Stellar Ruby Asphalt Star and Al Jafzia often changed their names to avoid law enforcement by coastal state, adding that the owners of these vessels were located overseas.
In a post made on X?on 6 February, Indian authorities stated that they had intercepted 3 vessels approximately 100 nautical miles west from Mumbai after detecting suspicious activities involving a fuel tanker in India’s exclusive economic zones. The post was deleted later, but a source has confirmed that the vessels were escorted by the Indian authorities to Mumbai for further investigations.
According to a source, the Indian Coast Guard has deployed 55 ships and 10-12 aircraft to provide round-the clock surveillance of its maritime zones.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) in the U.S. The Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned last year the vessels?Global Peace?, Chil?1? and Glory Star 1? with IMO numbers that were identical to those captured by India.
According to LSEG, two of the three tankers are linked to Iran. Al Jafzia carried fuel 'oil' from Iran to Djibouti by 2025, and Stellar Ruby was flagged in Iran.
Data shows that the Asphalt 'Star' mainly operated in China. The risks are so high that sanctioned fuel and oil is often sold at a deep discount. This is because of the complex ownership structures and false documentation, as well as mid-sea transfer. (Reporting and editing by Andrei Khalip; Saurabh Sharma)
(source: Reuters)
