A ship bound to Libya was found to be transporting vehicles intended for military use, in breach of the UN arms embargo, Operation IRINI says.

The MV VICTORY RORO, flying the flag of Equatorial Guinea, has long been suspected of transferring military equipment to Libya. Under the name MV LUCCELLO, flying the flag of Comoros, the vessel was identified by the UN Panel of Experts on Libya as having delivered military vehicles to the country in early March 2022, a statement by the EU naval operation said.

According to IRINI, the inspection team identified dozens of vehicles designed or modified for military use.

The operation included the participation of Italian and Greek warships, besides a French navy plane.

IRINI disclosed that the ship was diverted to Marseille, France, to unload the cargo before leaving the port on August 2 to resume its commercial activities.

The Italian news agency Nova quoted the media office of the EU operation as saying that the ship was sailing from the Jordanian port of Aqaba and heading to Libya.

According to the same source, the vessel was stopped on July 18 when it entered IRINI's search zone off the eastern Libyan coast.