Tanker ship Morning Glory arrived in Tripoli on March 22, 2014., after U.S. naval forces handed it over to the Libyan naval authorities in international waters just outside of the territorial water line, Reuters reports.
The U.S. Navy’s USS Elrod relieved the USS Stout of its escort duties for the Morning Glory tanker ship on March 19.
U.S. special forces boarded the tanker a week ago off Cyprus.
The U.S. Navy initially took control of the commercial tanker in international waters by request of the governments of Libya and Cyprus following its seizure earlier this month by three armed Libyans.
The Morning Glory, according to a DOD statement, was carrying cargo of oil owned by the Libyan government National Oil Company, and was illicitly obtained from the Libyan port of As-Sidra.
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US Department of Defense, March 24, 2014