An oil tanker stolen from As-Sidra port in Libya was boarded by Navy SEALS on Sunday.
Media reports earlier in the week indicated that the freighter was a North Korean-flagged vessel loaded with 200,000 barrels of oil.
The ‘Morning Glory’ had been hijacked by three armed men earlier this month and was spotted 18 nautical miles off the Cyprus coast on Friday. Coast guard units continued to monitor the tanker in cooperation with other countries in the region and with the Libyan government.
The U.S. Defence Department confirmed that the operation had taken place at the request of the Libyan and South Cyprus governments in international waters south-east of the island.
The U.S. Defence Department statement said, “The Morning Glory is carrying a cargo of oil owned by the Libyan government National Oil Company. The ship and its cargo were illicitly obtained from the Libyan port of As-Sidra,” Reuters reported.
The tanker is being returned to Libya by sailors from the destroyer, the USS ‘Stout’ (DDG-55), who will supervise the transit.
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