Libya Arrests Tanker due to Oil Smuggling Suspicions
Image Courtesy: PixabayLibyan naval forces have arrested the Togo-flagged bunkering tanker Lamar on suspicion of oil smuggling, Reuters cited a naval forces spokesman.
According to the spokesman, Ayoub Qassem, the tanker was seized near the border with Tunisia in the territorial waters without permissions from the state of Libya.
Lamar, which is owned by a Greek shipping company, as well as its eight Greek crew members were arrested and referred to the general prosecutor.
The ship was 8 miles off the coast of Abu Kamash at the time of the arrest.
Smugglers usually use the North African country’s western coast as a departure point to smuggle gasoline neighbouring countries, such as Tunisia and Malta.
Reuters informed that Western Libya is also the departure point for human traffickers smuggling mainly sub-Saharan Africans by boat to Italy.
World Maritime News Staff
