Italian troops board Russian shadow fleet tanker in Mediterranean
Inspection of Toa Payoh tanker (photo: difesa.it)
Italian troops boarded an oil tanker linked to Russia's shadow fleet, according to Italy's Ministry of Defense.
The vessel titled Toa Payoh is under European Union sanctions and is part of Russia's shadow fleet.
The inspection was intended to verify the flag's legitimacy. The vessel is registered under Cameroon.
Operation developments
The inspection lasted about two hours. The Italian military was supported by a Greek naval vessel and a Polish patrol aircraft.
The tanker captain initially refused to cooperate with the military. Italian troops were then deployed onto the vessel by helicopter and carried out the necessary inspection.
Italian troops board the tanker (photo: difesa.it)
The operation ended without incident.
Authorities are now analyzing the information and documents obtained during the vessel inspection.
Vessel destination point
The tanker departed from the port of Benin on July 16 and was heading toward Istanbul. It was intercepted west of the island of Pantelleria in the Mediterranean Sea.
The inspection was conducted in international waters in accordance with Article 110 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
"This operation once again confirms Italy's special contribution to Mediterranean security and the implementation of the European Union's policies," Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto said.
Earlier, US senators expressed confidence that the Kremlin leader would eventually return to the negotiating table. They made the remarks after new sanctions were approved.
Meanwhile, the European Union allowed member states to sell oil confiscated from Russia. Moscow has described such seizures of vessels as piracy.
