Mumbai: The Indian Coast Guard has seized three large oil tankers allegedly transporting crude oil illegally within Indian waters in violation of international sanctions. The vessels, reportedly linked to Iran and listed under U.S. sanctions, were intercepted nearly 100 nautical miles off the Mumbai coast. They were later escorted to Mumbai Port for further investigation.
The tankers—identified as Stellar Ruby, Asphalt Star, and Al Jafziya—were allegedly changing their identities frequently to evade detection. Preliminary investigations revealed that the vessels were involved in ship-to-ship (STS) oil transfers in the open sea, a tactic commonly used to bypass international monitoring systems and sanctions.
Officials suspect that overseas owners adopted these methods to circumvent sanctions. Authorities are also examining possible manipulation of the Automatic Identification System (AIS), which may have been deliberately switched off during transit.
The development comes at a time when India–U.S. relations are witnessing renewed momentum. Analysts believe India’s strict action against Iranian-linked vessels may be viewed in the broader context of evolving geopolitical and trade dynamics.
However, Iran’s National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) has denied any connection with the seized tankers, stating that it has no association with the vessels in question.
Following the incident, the Indian Coast Guard has intensified coastal surveillance operations. Officials confirmed that 55 ships and 12 aircraft are currently deployed to maintain strict maritime vigilance.
