U.S. special forces have seized a tanker that fled with a cargo of oil from a Libyan port, the U.S. Department of Defense said on Monday, halting an attempt by rebels to sell petroleum on the global market.
Libyan rebels demanding a greater share of oil wealth managed to load crude onto the ship, which escaped Libya's navy, embarrassing the government and prompting parliament to sack the prime minister.
U.S. Navy SEALs boarded the Morning Glory tanker in international waters off Cyprus on Sunday night and took control of the vessel, which the Pentagon said was held by three armed Libyans.
The tanker's seizure by U.S. forces is likely to prevent any more attempted oil sales by the rebels, who in August seized three export terminals accounting previously for 700,000 barrels a day of exports.
No one was hurt in the tanker raid, which was approved by U.S. President Barack Obama and requested by the Libyan and Cypriot governments, Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said.
"The Morning Glory is carrying a cargo of oil owned by the Libyan government National Oil Company. The ship and its cargo were illicitly obtained" from the Libyan port of Es Sider, his statement said.
17 March 2014
Somewhere a Conspiracy Theorist is Licking His Lips
Someone, somewhere, is going to make hay out of US forces seizing a tanker carrying Libyan oil from a port controlled by rebels
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I've seen some in the online tinfoil hat brigade attribute this to the machinations of Western oil companies. However, the oil was effectively stolen, the tanker had been unflagged by North Korea, and no one wanted a shady, rogue tanker full of oil cruising the Med. It also was an easy way to support the legitimate (but very weak) Libyan government. Smart move.
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