New Delhi, February 7 The Indian Coast Guard said on Saturday that it had busted an international oil smuggling racket by apprehending a group of vessels linked to it, about 100 nautical miles west of the Mumbai coast, as part of a mid-sea operation.
The vessels involved had devised a method to smuggle large volumes of cheap oil and oil-based cargo from "conflict-ridden countries and profit by transferring them to motor tankers in international waters," the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) said.
The "daring mid-sea operation," initiated through digital surveillance and enforced by the ever-expanding maritime presence of the Indian Coast Guard, once again establishes India as a "net provider of maritime safety and enforcer of the international rules-based order," the ICG said in a statement.
"Three vessels were intercepted by ICG ships, about 100 nautical miles west of Mumbai, on February 5, and through sustained investigation, corroboration of electronic data onboard the suspect vessels, and verification of documents and interrogation of crew, the ICG's specialist boarding team established the chain of events and the modus operandi of the criminals," the Coast Guard said.
The vessels were found to frequently change their identities to evade law enforcement actions by coastal states. The vessel owners are based in other countries, according to initial investigations, the maritime force said.
The syndicate consists of a network of handlers operating from various countries, coordinating the sale and transfer between seagoing vessels, it said.
Sharing the sequence of events, the ICG said its "tech-inclusive systems" detected a motor tanker conducting "suspicious activity" in the Indian Exclusive Economic Zones, prompting a digital investigation into the actions of the vessel.
"The ICG undertook data pattern analysis of other vessels approaching the vessel, and identified two other vessels as possible suspects, involved in illicit transfer of oil-based cargo at sea, evading significant duties owed to the coastal states, including India," the statement said.
"On February 5, ICG specialist teams boarded the vessels and confirmed the accuracy of the digital evidence, leading to the apprehension of the vessels," it said.
The vessels are likely to be escorted to Mumbai for further investigation and handed over to the Indian Customs and law enforcement agencies for action, the ICG said.
The Ministry of Defence, later in a post on X, said "three vessels involved in illicit mid-sea transfer of oil" were intercepted off the west coast near Mumbai. It also shared some photos.
"The Indian Coast Guard successfully busted an international oil smuggling racket through a coordinated sea-air operation. Leveraging tech-enabled surveillance and maritime dominance, three vessels involved in illicit mid-sea transfer of oil were intercepted off the west coast near Mumbai," it said.
"The operation reaffirms India's resolve to safeguard maritime interests and uphold the rules-based order at sea. @IndiaCoastGuard #MaritimeSecurity," it said.