An Italian-led European Union naval force boarded the 50,922-dwt products tanker Toa Payoh west of Pantelleria in its second flag-verification operation involving a sanctioned tanker in 13 days, according to the Italian Defence Ministry.
The 2005-built vessel, IMO 9298492, was intercepted in international waters on 2 August after departing Cotonou, Benin, on 16 July for Istanbul, Turkey. It was claiming the Cameroon flag.
The master initially failed to provide the cooperation requested by EUNAVFOR MED Operation Irini, prompting an Italian team to board the tanker by helicopter from the mission’s flagship, the Italian Navy vessel ITS Thaon di Revel.
A Greek naval vessel and a Polish maritime patrol aircraft supported the operation. The inspection lasted about two hours and ended without incident.
The boarding was conducted under Article 110 of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, which allows a warship in specified circumstances to verify a merchant vessel’s nationality and entitlement to fly its declared flag.
Documents and information collected during the inspection remained under examination. Toa Payoh was not detained and later continued eastwards close to the Libyan coast.
The operation followed Irini’s flag-verification boarding of South Star on 20 July. The EU added Toa Payoh to its sanctions list in April 2026 over the transport of Russian-origin crude oil or petroleum products using irregular and high-risk shipping practices.