Brief by Shorts91 Newsdesk / 01:11pm on 20 Feb 2026,Friday India Global
India's Coast Guard seized three Iran-linked, US-sanctioned oil tankers named MT Asphalt Star, MT Al Jafzia, and MT Stellar Ruby off Mumbai on February 4–5. An FIR revealed MT Asphalt Star operated suspiciously inside Pakistan's EEZ for eight days, going completely "dark" for 11 hours on January 28 by disabling AIS, VHF radio, and onboard sensors. The vessels conducted illegal ship-to-ship fuel transfers in India's EEZ using forged documents, fake insurance certificates, and AIS spoofing. Approximately 30 metric tonnes of heavy fuel oil and 5,473 metric tonnes of bitumen were illegally transferred. The FIR names ship masters, engineers, and a shipping firm owner for criminal conspiracy, smuggling, and document forgery. (PC: India Today)
