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Navy Seals take over oil tanker seized by Libyan rebels Navy Seals take over oil tanker seized by Libyan rebels
(about 2 hours later)
US Navy Seals have boarded and taken control of a tanker near Cyprus that had loaded crude oil at a port held by rebels in eastern Libya, the Pentagon says. American Navy Seals have seized a North Korea-flagged tanker which had been loaded with crude oil at a rebel-held port in eastern Libya, the Pentagon said on Monday.
"US forces, at the request of both the Libyan and Cypriot governments, boarded and took control of the commercial tanker Morning Glory, a stateless vessel seized earlier this month by three armed Libyans," the Pentagon press secretary, Rear Admiral John Kirby, said in a statement. The operation to take control of the Morning Glory came a week after Libya failed to prevent the tanker from leaving the rebel-controlled eastern port of Es Sider loaded with an estimated $20m cargo, in a crisis that has brought the country to the brink of civil war.
No one was injured in the operation. "The Morning Glory is carrying a cargo of oil owned by the Libyan government's National Oil Company," said Pentagon spokesman John Kirby. "The ship and its cargo were illicitly obtained from the Libyan port of Es Sider."
The operation was approved by Barack Obama and was conducted just after 2am GMT on Monday in international waters south-east of Cyprus, Kirby added. There were no casualties in the operation, which took place in international waters off the coast of Cyprus late on Sunday night. The raid was authorised by the US president, Barack Obama, after receiving a request for assistance from Tripoli. The Seals boarded the 21,000-tonne tanker using helicopters and fast boats from a warship, the USS Roosevelt.
The tanker had a North Korean flag but Pyongyang has denied any responsibility for the tanker, which was carrying oil owned by the Libyan government's National Oil Company. The Pentagon said a US navy crew was now piloting the tanker towards an unnamed Libyan port where it will be handed to government control.
"The ship and its cargo were illicitly obtained from the Libyan port of As-Sidra," the Pentagon statement read. The tanker would soon be en route to a port in Libya with a team of US sailors on board. In Libya, US ambassador Deborah Jones, who described the rebel actions last week as "theft from the Libyan people", tweeted: "Yes we can" in reaction to the operation on Monday. "Glad we were able to respond positively to Libya's request for help in preventing illegal sale of its oil on stateless ship," she wrote.
The Morning Glory, which departed from the eastern Libyan port of Al-Sidra – controlled by rebels seeking autonomy from the authorities in Tripoli – is reported to have been carrying at least 234,000 barrels of crude oil. Meanwhile, two Israelis and a Senegalese national were briefly detained in Cyprus on suspicion of negotiating to buy crude from the tanker, it was reported on Monday.
The ship was operated by an Egypt-based company that was allowed to temporarily use the North Korean flag under a contract with Pyongyang, North Korean state news agency KCNA said. The three people were detained in the coastal city of Larnaca on Saturday, but a local court declined to issue arrest warrants as authorities in Cyprus had no evidence that the alleged offence was committed within its territorial waters.
Local media said the three flew in to Larnaca on a private jet late on Friday, hired a boat from the marina and went out to the tanker to negotiate with the crew.
Police monitored their movements and the boat was intercepted once they were back in Cyprus waters. The trio flew out to Tel Aviv on Sunday night.
The US raid comes amid growing fears that Libya is headed towards breakup, with rebel forces in the eastern province of Cyrenaica declaring last week their intention to sell oil independently.
Rebel leaders have been blockading eastern oil ports since last summer, calling for autonomy for Cyrenaica and a greater share of Libya's oil wealth.
Last week a Libyan gunboat failed to prevent the Morning Glory leaving Es Sider with at least 234,000 barrels of crude.
The ship was operated by an Egypt-based company that was allowed to temporarily use the North Korean flag under a contract with Pyongyang, North Korean state news agency KCNA said on Wednesday.
Pyongyang had "cancelled and deleted" the ship's North Korean registry, as it violated its law "on the registry of ships and the contract that prohibited it from transporting contraband cargo".Pyongyang had "cancelled and deleted" the ship's North Korean registry, as it violated its law "on the registry of ships and the contract that prohibited it from transporting contraband cargo".
As such, the ship had nothing to do with North Korea, which "has no responsibility whatsoever as regards the ship", KCNA said. "As such, the ship had nothing to do" with North Korea, which "has no responsibility whatsoever as regards the ship", KCNA said.
The ship's escape prompted Libya's congress to fire prime minister Ali Zeidan, who fled to Germany last week claiming his life was in danger.
Government militias ordered to take the oil ports by force clashed last week with a Libyan army unit near the coastal town of Sirte, and rebel forces have since taken up positions blocking approaches to the ports.
Washington's action is seen as a signal of US support for Libya's elected authorities, and comes after rebels declared their intention to load oil into a second tanker expected to dock at the blockaded port of Tobruk.
Three years after its Arab spring revolution that overthrew Muammar Gaddafi, Libya remains plagued with militia violence and a moribund economy, with the government struggling to maintain control over much of the country.