Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) forces have boarded and seized another vessel for allegedly smuggling oil.
This is the third tanker the country’s armed forces have detained on allegations of smuggling oil to sell abroad after buying at government subsidised low domestic prices.
Iranian media reported that the IRGC forces boarded the vessel on Friday, claiming to be carrying out a court order, when they found the vessel loading oil from barges. They alleged that the vessel was preparing to leave the country loaded with 700 000 barrels of smuggled oil.
The forces inspected the vessel and detained its nine crew members before ordering that it be moved into Khomeini Port for further investigation.
The 236-foot (72 metres) product tanker Pearl G (2000dwt) had been loading oil near the Arash oil field where Iranian barges were transporting fuel to the vessel. Its Automatic Identification System signals showed the tanker had been moving around the Persian Gulf region since late July.
Built in 1994, the vessel was operated for the South Koreans until 2023 but has since changed identifies twice. The vessel is registered in Togo and is now managed from Dubai.
Just over a week ago the armed forces seized another Togo-registered tanker, Betelgeuse (1767dwt), which had allegedly loaded 1.5 million litres of marine gas oil. The authorities also seized a smaller tanker, STI Lavender, for alleged smuggling in January.
