Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have captured a Togo-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf and detained its nine-person crew for alleged fuel smuggling, as reported on July 29 on their Sepahnews website.
The Guards’ statement mentioned that the oil tanker named Pearl G, flying the flag of Togo, was seized by a judicial order on Friday morning. The vessel, owned by an Iraqi resident of Dubai, UAE, was found to be carrying 700,000 litres of fuel.
The naval forces of the Guards apprehended the tanker near the Arash oil field, a disputed area between Iran and Kuwait, while it was loading smuggled fuel from Iranian barges.
The statement further stated that the oil tanker, along with its Indian crew members, has been taken to Imam Khomeini harbor and is currently under observation. This incident marks the second seizure of a Togo-flagged oil tanker in less than a week.
Prior to this, on July 22, the Guards had seized another Togo-flagged oil tanker and detained its 12 crew members for similar fuel smuggling charges. The status of both the vessel and its crew remains uncertain at this time.
Iranian naval forces frequently report the detention of vessels involved in fuel transportation in the Gulf region. In a previous event in late January, Iran apprehended a vessel carrying two million litres of allegedly smuggled fuel.
In another incident in May, Iran released seven crew members from a Portuguese-flagged container ship that was seized on April 13, after accusing them of connections to Israel, its adversary.
The low fuel prices in Iran have made smuggling operations highly profitable, leading to an increase in such illegal activities in the region.
