FREE CSOA REPORT: Gibraltar Seizes Supertanker

July 04: At approx. 02:00 LT this morning Gibraltar port and law enforcement agencies, aided by a detachment of Royal Marines, detained the Panama-flagged 300,000-tonne crude oil tanker GRACE 1 (IMO #9116412). Approximately 30 marines from 42 Commando boarded the vessel via a halo insertion at the request of the Gibraltar government. The tanker was seized because it was suspected of being on its way to the Baniyas Refinery in Syria, which is subject to European Union sanctions against Syria. It is believed to be carrying a shipment of Iranian crude oil. The operation reportedly went smoothly, and the European Commission and European Council have been informed that sanctions have been enforced.

For more information, CSO Alliance Ltd. (the authors of the Maritime Security Review) are making their first response report publically available for download.