U.S. Navy hands over North Korean-flagged oil tanker Morning Glory to Libya after seizing it from rebels in dramatic raid

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The Morning Glory was escorted by USS Elrod to Tripoli Saturday
The ship had been taken by Libyan rebels, demanding more oil wealth and autonomy
They had loaded 37-ton ship with crude oil stolen from port of Es Sider
Last week a team of SEALs boarded the tanker near Cyprus and arrested the rebel on board

PUBLISHED: 15:36 EST, 22 March 2014 | UPDATED: 15:55 EST, 22 March 2014

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U.S. Navy handed over control of a seized oil freighter to Libyan forces while in international waters Saturday,.

The saga of the North Korea-flagged tanker Morning Glory, which authorities now say is bound for the capital Tripoli, has illustrated the extreme weakness of Libya's government, vying with rebels for dominance since the 2011 ouster and death of Moammar Gadhafi.

Officials also said that they had interrogated the captain and learned that it belonged to a Saudi company.

Homecoming: North Korean-flagged tanker the Morning Glory, pictured here on March 8 docked at the Es Sider export terminal in Ras Lanuf, was returned to Libya Saturday by the U.S. Navy, which had seized it last week

Entourage: USS Elrod escorted the tanker on its way to Libya, with its 34 sailors staying about the Morning Glory

The main force behind the tanker is a well-known militia commander in east Libya who was planning to sell oil in defiance of Tripoli.

But Ibrahim Jedran's international partners have until now remained unknown. North Korean officials say they have canceled the ship's registration after the incident.

Last week, U.S. Navy SEALs seized the ship off the Mediterranean island of Cyprus, stopping an attempt by a Libyan militia to sell its shipload of crude in defiance of Tripoli.

Under cover of darkness, the elite team of commandos swooped onto the The Morning Glory from a helicopter after tracking it down to a bolt hole some 18 miles southwest of the island nation.

A Pentagon spokesman said they were met with next to no resistance as they swept silently through the vessel's corridors and cabins, arresting all inside. Nobody was injured in the operation.

Jedran, whose fighters control the terminal where the tanker took on its load, is part of a movement demanding autonomy for the east of the country.

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He has warned the U.S. against handing over the tanker and three of his fighters, reportedly including one of his brothers, who are on board.

Libyan authorities at first planned to bring the tanker Morning Glory to dock at the port of Zawiya refinery, 25 miles west of the capital Tripoli, according to Ayoub Qassem, spokesman for the Libyan navy.

However, just as it came into sight of Zawiya, the country's top prosecutor ordered that it head to Tripoli port for further investigation, Abdullah Rashed, supervisor of operations at Zawiya port, told The Associated Press.

Rashid said the vessel would arrive late at night at Tripoli port and then continue on Sunday or Monday to Zawiya, though a navy spokesman declined to confirm this.

Members of Libya's naval coastguard man speed boats as they wait for the arrival of the Morning Glory at Zawiya port, Libya

Qassem had earlier told the official news agency LANA that three Libyan navy ships escorted the vessel into national waters.

Hours before the handover, at least 16 people were wounded when Libyan rebels occupying three eastern oil ports clashed with troops and attacked an army base, where pro-government forces had been preparing to break the rebel blockade.

Anti-aircraft gunfire and explosions were heard overnight and after dawn on Saturday in Ajdabiya, the hometown of rebel leader Ibrahim Jedran, whose fighters seized the ports last summer to demand a greater share in Libya's oil resources.

Last summer, Jedran's militia took over Libya's oil facilities in the east. As a result, the country's exports of its biggest revenue earner have slowed to a trickle.

This month, the militia loaded the Morning Glory with $30million worth of oil.

It set sail and evaded a Libyan blockade to escape to the Mediterranean, and the militia said they would sell the oil on behalf of a council that claims to be a government in the east, challenging the central authority.

Qassem said three Libyans and 21 crew members who were on board were detained by the Libyans after the U.S. Navy handed the ship over.

A Libyan security official confirmed that one of Jedran's brothers was on board. He said a boat of the Libyan navy forces had taken the Libyans and the crew aboard to Tripoli.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief reporters.

A spokesman for the guards of the oil terminals, Walid al-Tarhouni, said Saturday that officials had learned that the ship belonged to a Saudi company following interrogation of the vessel's captain, and after reviewing the ownership documents.

Change of plans: Just as the tanker came into sight of Zawiya (pictured), the country's top prosecutor ordered that it head to Tripoli port

Rogue militiamen: Rebels under commander Ibrahim Jedran unload ammunition from a boat at Es Sider port in Ras Lanuf; Jedran was planning to sell oil in defiance of Tripoli

Al-Tarhouni said Jedran's threats are ‘media talk’ that have no effect and that the army in the eastern area is working to regain control of the oil terminals.

Jon Ki Chol, deputy director-general of North Korea's Maritime Administration, has previously said that although North Korea had provided a flag for the tanker Morning Glory, it canceled registration of the ship after being notified of the incident.

When the ship docks into the harbor, it's expected to take 10 to 15 hours to unload 350,000 barrels of oil, Abdel Satar el-Terbel, coordinator of the naval operations in Zawiya Refinery Company, said.

The attempted oil sale fueled political crisis in Libya and led to the parliament's removal of Ali Zidan from his post as prime minister, saying it had underlined his weakness.

Libya's three rebel-held ports account for around 700,000 barrels per day of Libya's oil export capacity, or around half of its total petroleum shipments.

Ransom: The vessel was stolen from the port of As Sidra last month by Libyan anti-Government insurgents, who are demanding a greater share of oil wealth and autonomy from the country's fledgling administration. They were tracked down near Cyprus

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Dcblacqua, Chandler, United States, 6 hours ago

Americas place in the world reminds me of my place in the family Tho my husband and children know I love them more than life, they tell me I'm a bit abrasive, opinionated, loud Many think America is brash, loud, uncouth, trying to always push to the front Until they need a mountain moved, a scholarship denial successfully appealed, an oil tanker liberated, someone to be a 24/7 caregiver.........yes, THEN who does my family run to, who does the world run to America and Mom

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dean, rhome, United States, 7 hours ago

Isn't this one of Obama's signature achievements? In the interest of full disclosure I rooted for the Libyan people, but I was foolish enough to think that there might actually be a plan for follow up to prevent just what has happened since then.

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kevphd, nyc - usa, 9 hours ago

so i now wonder why our navy is getting involved i this kind of action. it doesnt concern our country at all. the countries involved should be dealing with it.