Italian Navy Personnel Boarded A Tanker Belonging To The Russian Shadow Fleet

The ship's captain refused to cooperate.

On the morning of August 2, the flagship of the EU naval mission in the Mediterranean—Operation IRINI—the Thaon di Revel, inspected an oil tanker belonging to the Russian “shadow fleet” Toa Payoh, which is subject to EU sanctions.

The Italian military verified the vessel’s nationality, as determined by the flag under which it is authorized to sail, according to a statement from the Italian Ministry of Defense’s press service.

It is noted that the oil tanker, which departed from the port of Cotonou in Benin on July 16 and was headed for Istanbul, was intercepted west of Pantelleria—an island between Sicily and Tunisia.

The tanker’s captain initially refused to cooperate, after which a group of Italian military personnel reached the vessel by helicopter from the Neave-Taon-di-Revel base and conducted the necessary inspections.

The statement notes that the operation was conducted in full compliance with Article 110 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which allows a military vessel, under certain conditions, to conduct necessary inspections regarding the nationality of a merchant vessel and the flag under which it is entitled to sail.
The information and documentation obtained during the inspection are currently being reviewed.

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