© ReutersOil tanker suspected of carrying Iranian crude oil to Syria
Royal Marines have boarded an oil tanker on its way to Syria thought to be breaching EU sanctions, the government of Gibraltar has said.Authorities said there was reason to believe the ship - Grace 1 - was carrying Iranian crude oil to the Baniyas Refinery in Syria.
The refinery is subject to European Union sanctions against Syria. Britain's ambassador in Tehran, Robert Macaire, has been summoned over the incident.
Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi was quoted on Iranian state TV as saying
the ambassador had been summoned over the "illegal seizure" of the Iranian tanker.Gibraltar's chief minister, Fabian Picardo, praised the marines who detained the ship. "Be assured that Gibraltar remains safe, secure and committed to the international, rules-based, legal order," he said, thanking the police, customs and port authorities for their involvement in detaining the ship. Gibraltar port and law enforcement agencies detained the super tanker and its cargo on Thursday morning with the help of the marines.
The BBC has been told
a team of about 30 marines, from 42 Commando, were flown from the UK to Gibraltar to help seize the tanker, at the request of the Gibraltar government.
A defence source described it as a "relatively benign operation" without major incident.
Mr Picardo said he had written to the presidents of the European Commission and European Council to give details of the sanctions that have been enforced.
'Firm action'The Baniyas refinery, in the Syrian Mediterranean port town of Tartous, is a subsidiary of the General Corporation for Refining and Distribution of Petroleum Products, a section of the Syrian ministry of petroleum.The EU says the facility therefore provides financial support to the Syrian government, which is subject to
sanctions because of its repression of civilians since the start of the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad in 2011. The refinery has been
subject to EU sanctions since 2014.
A spokesman for Prime Minister Theresa May said she welcomed the "firm action" by the Gibraltarian authorities.
Comment: UPDATE 11/07/19: The captain and the chief officer of the supertanker G
race 1 has been
arrested by Gibraltan authorities:
Both men were arrested on Thursday afternoon and questioned. Yet, neither of them have been charged so far, the Gibraltar Chronicle reported, citing a police spokesman. The officers also seized documents and electronic devices from the ship.
The men, both Indian nationals, are suspected of breaching EU sanctions against Syria, the paper said.
© Reuters/StringerThe supertanker Grace 1 is being held by British authorities in the port of Gilbratar.
Meanwhile, the UK has raised the ship security codes for British-flagged vessels passing through Iranian waters to the highest - "critical" - level, several media outlets reported, citing sources.
The US said that the captured ship was transporting Iranian oil. Tehran confirmed it had links to the vessel but denied it was heading to Syria. Iran also branded the actions of the UK marines and the Gibraltar police as "piracy" and demanded the ship's immediate release.
While the Gibraltar authorities have never officially linked the seizure and the arrests with the actions of Iran, pointing instead at the sanctions the EU imposed against Syria, these developments still conspicuously come amid the ongoing row between the UK's allies in Washington and Tehran.
In mid-June, the US announced its plans to build a "global consensus" against Iran and later said it also wants to create a "coalition" to "ensure freedom of navigation both in the Straits of Hormuz and Bab-el-Mandeb."
The fact that the UK - a major US ally - also tightened security of its own ships sailing near the Iranian territory while its forces in Gibraltar helped seize the vessel carrying Iranian oil might indicate that this move could potentially be linked to some other motives, going beyond the implementation of the EU sanctions against Damascus.
Comment:
UPDATE 11/07/19: The captain and the chief officer of the supertanker Grace 1 has been arrested by Gibraltan authorities: