Sources confirmed that India had seized three U.S. sanctioned 'oil tankers' linked to Iran this month, and increased surveillance in its maritime zone in order to stop illicit trade. This confirms a post made by Indian authorities on X earlier in February, which was deleted.

Sources with direct knowledge on the subject said that India wants to stop its waters being used as a conduit for transfers of oil from ship to ship, which would obscure the origins of cargoes.

The increased surveillance and seizures are a result of improved relations between the United States and India. Washington announced earlier this month that it would reduce import tariffs on Indian goods from 50% to 18% after New Delhi agreed not to import Russian oil.

Source: The three sanctioned ships - Stellar Ruby, Asphalt Star, and Al Jafzia -- frequently change their identities in order to avoid law enforcement by coastal state, the source added.

VESSELS STOCKED OFFSHORE OF MUMBAI

The National Iranian Oil Company was quoted by the Iranian state media as saying that the three tankers captured?by India did not have any connection with the company. The company said neither the ships nor the cargoes were connected to it.

In a posting on X, the Indian authorities said that on 6 February they had intercepted 3 vessels around 100 nautical miles west from Mumbai after detecting suspicious activities involving a fuel tanker in India’s exclusive economic zones.

The source later deleted the post, but confirmed that Mumbai was the destination for further investigation.

According to a source, the Indian Coast Guard has deployed between 10 and 12 planes and 55 ships for round-the clock surveillance of its maritime zones.

The US Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC) announced last year that it sanctioned three ships, named Global Peace, Chil 1 and Glory Star 1 with IMO numbers identical to the ships 'lately captured by India.

According to LSEG, two of the three tanks are associated with Iran.?Al Jafzia carried fuel oil from Iran into Djibouti by 2025, and Stellar Ruby was flagged in Iran.

Data shows that the Asphalt?Star mainly operated around?China.

Due to the risk involved, sanctioned fuel and oil are often sold at a deep discount. In addition, intermediaries move cargo through complex ownership structure, falsified documentation, and mid-sea transfer that complicate enforcement. (Reporting and editing by Andrei Khalip, David Holmes and Menna A. El-Din; Additional reporting and editing by Menna A. El-Din;

(source: Reuters)