The Indian Coast Guard's efforts to disrupt a sophisticated oil smuggling network demonstrate India's commitment to enforcing maritime safety and international regulations. India has seized three US-sanctioned oil tankers linked to Iran this month, a report claimed on Monday, saying that New Delhi was stepping up surveillance in its maritime zone to curb illicit trade. The seizure of the oil tankers comes as India prevents its waters from being used for ship-to-ship transfers that obscure the origin of oil cargoes, Reuters reported, citing a source with direct knowledge of the matter. It further noted that the heightened surveillance follows an improvement of ties between New Delhi and Washington shortly after an interim trade agreement was announced between the two countries. According to Reuters, the three sanctioned vessels - Stellar Ruby, Asphalt Star and Al Jafzia - frequently changed their identities to evade law enforcement by coastal states, the source said, adding that their owners were based overseas. It quoted Iranian state media which cited the National Iranian Oil Company saying that the three tankers seized by India had no connection to the company. Two of the three tankers are linked to Iran, with Al Jafzia having carried fuel oil from Iran to Djibouti in 2025 and Stellar Ruby flagged in Iran, according to LSEG data quoted by Reuters. It added that the Asphalt Star mostly operated on voyages around China, the data showed. The Indian Coast Guard has since deployed about 55 ships and between 10 and 12 aircraft for round-the-clock surveillance in its maritime zones. It further mentioned that the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control, had last year sanctioned three vessels namely Global Peace, Chil 1, and Glory Star 1, with IMO numbers identical to the ships lately captured by India. Earlier in February, the Indian Coast Guard busted an international oil smuggling racket through an intricate sea-air network; however, it did not dive into further details. an intricate sea-air network.wed. ted by greement was announced between the two countries. According to an official release, the vessels involved devised a method to smuggle large volumes of cheap oil and oil-based cargo from conflict-ridden countries and profit by mid-sea transfer to motor tankers in international waters. The syndicate consists of a network of handlers operating from various countries, coordinating the sale and transfer between seagoing vessels. Three vessels were intercepted by ICG ships, about 100 nautical miles west of Mumbai, and through sustained rummaging, corroboration of electronic data onboard the suspect vessels, verification of documents and interrogation of the crew, the ICG specialist boarding team established the chain of incidents and the modus operandi of the criminals. For the Latest news, India News and breaking stories from around the world, visit Times Now for live coverage and in-depth reporting. Ananya is a journalist with a strong grounding in breaking news and a deep-rooted passion for geopolitics. She has 6 years of experience in TV and Dig... View More