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NEW DELHI: The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) on Friday intercepted three vessels about 100 nautical miles west of Mumbai, busting an international oil-smuggling racket during a coordinated mid-sea operation carried out on February 5–6.The operation followed intelligence gathered through technology-enabled maritime surveillance. According to the Coast Guard, the vessels were involved in the illegal transfer of oil and oil-based cargo sourced from conflict-ridden regions, using mid-sea ship-to-ship transfers in international waters to evade customs duties owed to coastal states, including India.Sharing details in a post on X, the Indian Coast Guard said that the action was the result of a “meticulously coordinated sea–air operation.” It said the syndicate “exploited mid-sea transfers in international waters to move cheap oil from conflict-ridden regions to motor tankers, evading duties owed to coastal states.” Explaining how the operation unfolded, the ICG said that its technology-driven systems first detected a motor tanker showing suspicious behaviour within the Indian Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).This led to a digital investigation and data-pattern analysis, which identified two more vessels converging on the tanker, raising suspicion of an illicit oil transfer at sea. According to the Coast Guard, specialist boarding teams intercepted the three vessels and carried out sustained rummaging operations. “Electronic data corroboration, verification of documents and interrogation of crew exposed the modus operandi and a global handler network,” the ICG said in its post.Initial investigations revealed that the vessels frequently changed their identities to evade law enforcement by coastal states. The Coast Guard said that the racket was run by a network of handlers operating from multiple countries, coordinating the sale and transfer of oil cargo between seagoing vessels.The intercepted vessels are being escorted to Mumbai for further investigation and will be handed over to Indian Customs and other law enforcement agencies for legal action.Describing the broader significance of the operation, the Coast Guard said the crackdown reinforced India’s role as a “net provider of maritime security and guardian of the rules-based international order” in the region.
