India seizes three tankers in first action against dark fleet

New Delhi: The Indian Coast Guard seized three tankers that it said were involved in oil smuggling, the first sign of the country getting tough on the so-called dark fleet. The three ships were taken in the waters off Mumbai on Friday by the coast guard, which said in a post on X that it had “busted an international oil-smuggling racket” and that the vessels had been known to “frequently change identity.” It’s the first time New Delhi has taken such action, according to people familiar with the Indian shipping industry, and comes as the US and Europe lead an effort to get tougher on vessels moving sanctioned oil. Many dark fleet tankers have sub-standard documentation, improper or fake flag registrations and poor maintenance, posing security and maritime safety risks. The seizures are also happening as Washington pressures New Delhi to stop taking Russian crude, as part of a deal to cut import tariffs on the South Asian nation. India said early last year that it wouldn’t allow sanctioned tankers to discharge at its ports. The coast guard didn’t name the vessels it had seized, but shared photos of them in its post. The pictures matched past images of the Chiltern, Asphalt Star and Stellar Ruby that can be found on MarineTraffic, a ship-tracking intelligence platform.

Ship-intelligence platform TankerTracker.com identified the same vessels through their unique seven-digit IMO numbers. All three ships were sanctioned by Washington last year for links to the Iranian oil trade. Nobody responded to emails seeking comment at offices of the registered owners of the tankers as listed on the Equasis database. Calls made to the owners and manager of Chiltern and Asphalt Star were directed to voice mail. Calls made to the owner and manager of Stellar Ruby were not answered. The three vessels seized by the Indian Coast Guard were being escorted to Mumbai for further investigation, a spokesperson said on Monday.