Gibraltar detains oil tanker

The vessel was believed to be headed to the Banyas Refinery in Syria, which is part of an entity subject to the EU's Syrian Sanctions Regime.

Gibraltar: In a major crackdown, the Gibraltar government detained a large oil tanker over breaching of European Union sanctions by carrying a shipment of Iranian crude oil to Syria.

The Royal Marines, port and law enforcement agencies boarded the Grace 1 supertanker on Thursday.

Gibraltar's Chief Minister, Fabian Picardo said "We have detained the vessel and its cargo. This action arose from information giving the Gibraltar Government reasonable grounds to believe that the vessel Grace 1 was acting in breach of European Union sanctions against Syria."

The vessel was believed to be headed to the Banyas Refinery in Syria, which is part of an entity subject to the EU's Syrian Sanctions Regime.

The European Union has imposed sanctions on the regime of Syria's President Bashar Assad due to its continued crackdown against civilians.