U.S. Navy Saves Iraqi Crew of Sinking Tanker

A U.S.-led naval force rescued the Iraqi crew of a tanker that was sinking in the Persian Gulf while smuggling Iraqi oil, a Navy spokeswoman said.

“The ship was sinking very fast, and the 12 Iraqi crew had no other alternative but to abandon the vessel,” Lt. Melissa Schuermann said.

The Georgios was intercepted in the northern gulf Saturday. Schuermann said the Honduran-flagged vessel was carrying 2,083 tons of illegal Iraqi oil when the naval force boarded it.

U.N. sanctions imposed after Iraq’s 1990 invasion of Kuwait prohibit Iraq from exporting oil except with U.N. authorization.

The ship was in poor condition, and the boarding party noticed an oil slick from the vessel, Schuermann said. The ship sank early Sunday about 60 miles east of Kuwait.