Israel: Tanker owned by Syrian family responsible for recent oil spill

The owners of The Emerald, the tanker believed to have spilled massive amounts of oil off the Israeli coast in February, have been identified, the Environmental Protection Ministry revealed Sunday.

According to an independent investigation by the private intelligence agency Black Cube, the tanker – registered in the Marshall Islands – is owned by a company called Emerald Marine LTD.

The information provided by Black Cube indicates that the tanker is owned by Oryx Shipping and its address is registered in Piraeus, Greece.

The company is believed to be owned by the Malah family of Syria, whose ships are insured by the Islamic P&I Club, known as one of the only companies in the world willing to insure Iranian ships.

The information provided to Black Cube showed that the Malah Group owns a chain of straw companies in the Marshall Islands, Panama and even a British company, all of which are registered at the same address in Piraeus.

At the beginning of the month, Environmental Protection Minister Gila Gamliel said that a "pirate ship" owned by a Libyan company that departed from Iran had been responsible for the oil spill.

"We got our hands on the criminal ship," Gamliel said in a tweet, offering no further details.