By Libya Herald reporter.
Tunis, 9 October 2017:
A Crimean oil tanker which was said to have been shot at and holed by the Libyan Coast Guard on Friday is reported to have now capsized.
The coast guard said on Saturday that its forces shot at the Comoros-flagged Goeast the previous day after it ignored calls to stop and be boarded. It said that it had been monitoring the vessel, claiming that it had anchored in the Bukhamash area and taken onboard a cargo of fuel. It then fired on the vessel. According to Libyan navy and coast guard spokesman Ayoub Gassem the engine room and the fuel tanks were hit. He said the Goeast then started listing.
A video on the coast guards’ Facebook page shows liquid gushing from the tanker into the sea. It is not clear though what the liquid is. It appears to be lighter and clearer than oil.
Following the shooting, the coast guard boat returned to Tripoli.
Although Comoros-flagged, the Goeast is owned by the UVAS-TRANS, based in the Crimean port of Kerch. Crimea was annexed by Russia in 2014.
It is not known if there were any casualties in the incident or if the vessel was in international of Libyan waters at the time.
There has been no confirmation as to whether it has capsized or not. Attempts to contact UVAN TRANS have so far been unsuccessful.
