Italian navy boards a sanctioned shadow-fleet tanker west of Pantelleria

The frigate Thaon di Revel boarded the tanker Toa Payoh in international waters west of Pantelleria on Sunday morning as part of the EU's Mediterranean mission Eunavfor Med Irini. The vessel, which is under EU sanctions and is counted as part of Russia's shadow fleet, sails under the flag of Cameroon and left Cotonou in Benin on 16 July bound for Istanbul; after its master initially refused to cooperate, an Italian team was put aboard by helicopter. The operation was carried out with support from a Greek ship and a Polish patrol aircraft and lasted about two hours, according to the defence ministry, which cited Article 110 of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea on verifying a ship's nationality.

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