An Italian-led European Union (EU) naval mission boarded the oil tanke Toa Payoh in the Mediterranean Sea on August 2. The tanker, which is under EU sanctions, was inspected west of the Italian island of Pantelleria while traveling from Benin to Istanbul. The operation was part of the EU's efforts to check ships suspected of violating oil sanctions against Russia.

According to Italy's Defence Ministry, authorities inspected the vessel to confirm if it was legally allowed to use the Cameroon flag and whether its registration documents were valid. The tanker had changed its registry to Cameroon just one week before the inspection. Officials said the ship was not detained because the EU mission does not have the authority to seize vessels during these checks.

The inspection lasted around two hours and was completed safely with support from a Greek naval vessel and a Polish maritime patrol aircraft. Italian military personnel boarded the tanker by helicopter after the ship\'s captain reportedly did not immediately cooperate with the inspection team. Authorities are now reviewing the documents collected during the operation.

The boarding follows a similar inspection on July 20 involving another tanker linked to Russia\'s so-called "shadow fleet." The European Union has sanctioned many vessels that it believes are being used to bypass restrictions on Russian oil exports. Russia had not released a statement about the latest inspection at the time of reporting.