Greece seized a Russian oil tanker with 19 crew on board under Ukraine sanctions, reports say

• Greece said it seized a Russian-flagged oil tanker under Ukraine sanctions, per Reuters.
• The tanker, Pegas, was forced to moor off the Greek coast in rough seas, Athens News Agency said.

Greece seized a Russian oil tanker with 19 crew on board under Ukraine sanctions imposed by the European Union, Reuters reported.

The Greek coast guard said Tuesday it had detained Pegas, a Russian-flagged tanker, near the town of Karystos, per Reuters.

"It has been seized as part of EU sanctions," a shipping ministry official said of the Pegas, per Reuters.

With limited exemptions, in early April, the EU banned Russian vessels from entering ports in the bloc.

Before being seized, Pegas had suffered a mechanical breakdown and was being pulled by tugs to Greece's Peloponnese peninsula, where its cargo was to be moved to another vessel, per Athens News Agency. However, during this journey, the tanker was forced to moor near Karystos because of rough seas, where it was then seized by Greek port authorities, per Athens News Agency.

The Associated Press reported that Pegas was seized on Friday.

The Greek coast guard said it hadn't confiscated the Pegas' cargo, per Reuters.

The Greek coast guard and the Greek government didn't immediately respond to Insider's request for comment about the Pegas being detained.

Pegas had departed Marmara Ereğlisi, a town in Turkey, and sailed for five days until it reached Karystos, according to vessel-tracking website Marine Traffic.

The tanker was built in 2003, is 249 meters long, and is valued at $15.9 million, per Marine Traffic.