WASHINGTON -- Tests confirm a Russian tanker seized by the Navy in the Persian Gulf was carrying Iraqi oil in violation of the U.N. economic embargo, Defense Secretary William Cohen said Sunday.
The Volga-Neft-147 was taken Monday to Muscat, the capital of Oman. A diplomat at the Russian embassy in Muscat, Alexander Nazarov, said it will dock at Fahl port once some technical procedures are completed. Fahl is used mainly by oil tankers for exporting Omani oil.The Omani government will determine the fate of the merchant vessel and its crew, Cohen told reporters while flying back from Germany, where he attended a conference on European security.
Cohen also disclosed that an Iraqi naval officer was on board the ship when it was seized Wednesday by Navy SEAL commandos. The Russian government had insisted the oil was from Iran, not Iraq.
The tests were completed Sunday. "They do reveal that the oil was from Iraq," Cohen said. "The government of Oman will make a determination as to what they will do with the ship itself."
He said the Russians were informed of results of the tests but was unaware of any response from Moscow.
Under normal procedure, the contraband would be sold and the profits used partly to offset the costs of the nation that agrees to take the vessel and partly to pay for the maritime force operation, U.S. officials have said.
Asked what effect the development might have on U.S.-Russian ties, Cohen said: "I don't think it will have any impact on relations."
Cohen also said the fleet of ships used to enforce the oil embargo against Iraq has intensified its patrols since the Russian tanker was seized. He offered no details. His spokesman, Kenneth Bacon, said that at least one ship had been added to the multinational fleet used to patrol the gulf.
Cohen pointed out that the Russian tanker was privately owned, and not the property of the government. Moscow had protested the seizure and demanded the vessel's release.
Iraq is banned from most international commerce but is allowed to export up to $5.2 billion in oil every six months in order to buy food, medicine and other essentials for its people, and spare parts for its oil industry.