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An oil tanker, Toa Payoh, was inspected by the Italian-led naval operation EUNAVFOR MED Irini in the Mediterranean Sea on 2 August focused on the recent change of its flag. The operation was carried out safely, and the vessel was not detained.
Vessel TOA PAYOH, Image credit:Cengiz Tokgoz
Toa Payoh is a 2005-built vessel that had reportedly been registered under the Cameroon flag only a week before the operation. EUNAVFOR MED Irini inspected the vessel to verify the validity of its Cameroon registration and determine whether it was legally entitled to sail under the flag.
After the captain of the 183-meter-long tanker failed to comply with the authorities' orders, Italian military personnel boarded the vessel by helicopter. The operation was supported by a Polish maritime patrol aircraft and a Greek naval vessel.
The operation lasted for approximately two hours, and documents collected during the boarding were being examined and could be used by national authorities in a possible future sequestration process.
EUNAVFOR MED Irini did not have the authority to detain the vessel during the inspection, and therefore Toa Payoh continued its sailing.
This marks the second vessel intercepted following the boarding of South Star on 20 July. South Star was intercepted by EUNAVFOR MED under suspicion of sailing a false flag.
Toa Payoh is EU-sanctioned and is linked to Russia's so-called shadow fleet. The incident occurred while the vessel was en route from Benin to Istanbul.
