A Syrian with a Maltese passport is among five persons who have been arrested in Tripoli in an investigation about the smuggling of fuel, sources told The Malta Independent.

The arrest was made on Thursday when the Togo-registered ship Sovereign M was seized.

The other arrested persons are two Egyptians, one of whom is the captain, an Algerian and a Syrian. The ship was allegedly last in Malta on July 25 this year. A spokesman for the government told this newsroom that it is following the case closely.

In another case, a Maltese sea captain, Capt Carmelo Grech, is has been detained in Libya over a visa blunder. He has been there for more than two weeks.