An unnamed Maltese national who has been detained for several days in Libya over suspicions of fuel smuggling could face charges before a Libyan court.

The Maltese-owned tanker Santa Cruz was intercepted by the Libyan coast guard off Zuwara on Wednesday morning.

Initial reports indicated the vessel was carrying 100,000 litres of diesel, but it later transpired it was carrying more than twice that amount. Libyan Observer claimed the ship was intercepted before being loaded with an additional 60,000 litres of fuel, on its way to Malta. 

Last week, a Syrian-born Maltese man was also arrested in Libya in connection with fuel smuggling. The unidentified man, a ship’s engineer, was apprehended on board a Togo-registered oil tanker by the Zuwara coastguard.

In a recent Facebook post, the coastguard authorities of this Libyan city vowed to use “an iron fist” to crack down on fuel smugglers.