U.S. Navy SEALs seize oil tanker carrying oil from rebel-controlled east Libya
18 March 2014
U.S. Navy SEALs Sunday night have boarded and taken control of Morning Glory, a North Korea-flagged which nine days ago had been loaded with crude oil at al-Sidra, a rebel-held port in eastern Libya, the Pentagon said on Monday. The SEALs boarded the 21,000-ton tanker using helicopters and fast boats. The Pentagon spokesman said that a U.S. navy crew was now piloting the tanker back towards a government-controlled Libyan port in west Libya.
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“The Morning Glory is carrying a cargo of oil owned by the Libyan government’s national oil company,” said Rear Adm. John Kirby. “The ship and its cargo were illicitly obtained from the Libyan port of Es Sider.”
“The SEAL team embarked and operated from the guided missile destroyer USS Roosevelt (DDG-80). USS Roosevelt provided helicopter support and served as a command and control and support platform for the other members of the force assigned to conduct the mission,” Kirby added. “No one was hurt tonight when U.S. forces, at the request of both the Libyan and Cypriot governments, boarded and took control of the commercial tanker Morning Glory, a stateless vessel seized earlier this month by three armed Libyans,” Kirby said in a statement....
The Guardian reports that the raid was authorized by the U.S. president Barack Obama after the interim Libyan government requested U.S. assistance....
Very interesting background story on this one. More details here.
Pay attention, folks.
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