The Morning Glory oil tanker is about to be put on auction by Libyan authorities, as informed by the state’s prosecutor office cited by Reuters.
The tanker was boarded and seized by US Navy Seals in international waters in March 2014 on request of the governments of Libya and Cyprus following its seizure during the same month by three armed Libyans.
The Morning Glory was carrying a cargo of oi l owned by the Libyan government National Oil Company, and was illicitly obtained from the Libyan port of As-Sidra, the Pentagon said.
The oil is said to had been taken by a rebel group from the war-torn Libya who were trying to sell the cargo without the government’s consent.
The ship and its crew were taken to Tripoli on March 22, 2014, after the U.S. naval forces handed it over to the Libyan naval authorities. The tanker’s foreign crew comprising of 21 members, six Pakistanis, six Indians, three Sri Lankans, two Syrians, two Sudanese and two Eritreans, were deported following a brief detention in Libya. The destination of the cargo has never been revealed.
The auction is scheduled for Thursday, September 10, Reuters reports.
World Maritime News Staff