U.S. seizes another Russian tanker with Iraqi oil

WASHINGTON -- The United States has again seized a Russian oil tanker suspected of smuggling Iraqi oil.

Officials said the Akademik Pustovoyt, the Russian tanker, was stopped by the USS Russell of the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet, based in Bahrain, on Thursday night.

The officials said U.S. Navy officers left their destroyer to board the oil tanker. The tanker is now anchored in international waters.

The U.S. Navy took a sample of the petroleum in the cargo to determine its origin and is reviewing ship logs and on-board computers, a defense official said. The results could be released by the end of the week.

In Moscow, Russian officials said they would demand compensation for any damage. "It [Russia] insists on the quick release of the vessel." a senior Foreign Ministry spokesman, Alexander Yakovenko, said.

It was the third seizure of a Russian tanker suspected of transporting smuggled Iraqi oil in as many months. The Akademik Pustovoyt was also seized in March but was released after it was found not have violated United Nations sanctions imposed on Iraq.

The Akademik Pustovoyt is owned by the Novorossiysk Shipping Company, based in the Russian Black Sea port of the same name. A company spokesman said the tanker was acting for Shell Petroleum.

U.S. officials said Iraq earns about $500 million a year in smuggled oil. They said much of the money is used to finance the development of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons and long-range missiles.