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British Seek Clues to Iranian Sanction Busting From Crew of Seized Tanker

Martin Arostegui

   ALGECIRAS, SPAIN - British police on Friday were questioning the crew
   of an Iranian supertanker that was seized at 4 a.m. Thursday in waters
   near Gibraltar, and which remains anchored close to the eastern shore
   of what locals refer to as "the Rock."

   Gibraltar's supreme court announced it was extending the authority to
   hold the ship for 14 more days, saying there are "reasonable grounds to
   believe that the vessel was acting in breach of established of EU
   sanctions against Syria."

   A spokesperson for Gibraltar's government told VOA that an initial
   order to seize the vessel for up to 72 hours was issued the day before
   it was boarded by 30 Royal Marines flown in from Britain. The seizure
   of the 1,000-meter tankerGrace 1as it stopped at Gibraltar for
   scheduled reprovisioning bears the hallmarks of a planned military
   operation aided by satellite and on-ground reconnaissance, as well as
   special forces.

   According to the British Foreign Office,Grace 1had loaded oil in Iraq
   that was destined for Syrian refineries sanctioned by the EU. Analysts
   said the unusual route around Africa and through the Strait of
   Gibraltar suggests the ship's operators wanted to avoid the shorter
   route through the Suez Canal, where it could have been more easily
   subject to inspection and boarding by Egypt.

   Spanish Foreign Minister Josep Borrel told reporters in Brussels the
   seizure had been requested by the U.S. He said Washington supplied
   information about the ship's destination and its cargo to the British
   government, which informed Spain only at the last minute about the
   planned boarding operation, in what Madrid considers to be its
   territorial waters.

   "Prior to the intervention by British forces, the UK had maintained,
   through opportune channels, consultations with Spain in which it shared
   suspicions that Grace 1, which was expected to stop in Gibraltar,
   transported a cargo of crude whose final destination was Syria, which
   British forces would act to embargo," according to a Spanish Foreign
   Ministry statement.

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