Brief by Shorts91 Newsdesk / 03:50am on 21 Feb 2026,Saturday India
One of the three US-sanctioned, Iran-linked oil tankers seized by the Indian Coast Guard off the coast of Mumbai spent about eight days in Pakistan’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) before being boarded in early February, an FIR shows. The Mali-flagged MT Asphalt Star reportedly switched off its tracking systems for nearly 11 hours, concealing its identity and movements, a tactic seen as suspicious. The vessel was caught engaging in unauthorised ship-to-ship fuel transfers with sister ships, using forged documents and false data, leading to investigations on smuggling, forgery, and related maritime violations. (PC: NDTV)
