India has seized three U.S-sanctioned oil tankers tied to Iran this month, while ramping up maritime surveillance to block illicit trade, a source confirmed Monday.
The move follows a now-deleted February X post by the Indian Coast Guard. According to a report by Reuters, a source with direct knowledge said India aims to prevent ship-to-ship transfers in its waters that mask the true origin of oil cargoes.
The seizures and ramped-up surveillance come amid warming U.S-India ties.
Washington announced earlier this month it would slash import tariffs on Indian goods to 18% from 50%, after US claimed India promised to halt Russian oil imports in the India-US trade deal.
The three sanctioned tankers- Stellar Ruby, Asphalt Star, and Al Jafzia- routinely altered their identities to dodge coastal state enforcement, said the source, noting their owners are based overseas, the routine further stated.
Earlier, the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) dismantled an international oil smuggling ring via a coordinated sea-air operation from February 5-6.
Officials targeted an organized network conducting illicit mid-sea transfers of oil and related cargo from conflict zones.
The statement detailed how Coast Guard ships intercepted three suspect vessels, conducting thorough boarding operations that included scrutinizing electronic data, verifying documents, and interrogating crew members. Investigators uncovered a syndicate relying on intricate ship-to-ship transfers in international waters to conceal cargo origins and dodge duties owed to coastal states.
The ICG’s advanced technology-driven surveillance first detected a motor tanker showing suspicious activity within India’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
Digital tracking and pattern analysis then pinpointed two more vessels heading toward it, prompting the coordinated interception. Early findings reveal the ships frequently changed identities to evade detection, and they will soon be transferred to Indian Customs and other agencies for legal proceedings.
According to the Reuters report, last year, the U.S Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned three vessels—Global Peace, Chil 1, and Glory Star 1, bearing the same IMO numbers as those recently seized by India. LSEG data links two of the three tankers to Iran: Al Jafzia transported fuel oil from Iran to Djibouti in 2025, while Stellar Ruby was flagged there.
