DHAKA: The Libyan navy moved Monday to stop a North Korean ship from leaving a rebel-held port loaded with oil, as the US accused the separatists of theft and warned any buyers could face sanctions.

Navy ships were deployed to block the ‘Morning Glory’ from leaving port, after culture minister Amin al-Habib said Sunday the tanker would be ‘turned into a pile of metal’ if it tried to set sail with its cargo.

The defence ministry has also deployed the air force to ‘deal with the tanker’, the official Lana news agency reported.

The United States said it was ‘deeply concerned’ over the loading of the ‘illicitly obtained’ oil.

‘This action is counter to law and amounts to theft from the Libyan people,’ State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in a statement, reports daily Hurriyet.

‘The oil belongs to the Libyan National Oil Company and its joint venture partners,’ Psaki said, noting the partners include US companies.

‘Any oil sales without authorisation from these parties places purchasers at risk of exposure to civil liability, penalties and other possible sanctions in multiple jurisdictions.’

Rebels at the Al-Sidra oil terminal in eastern Libya spent the weekend loading oil onto the tanker, ignoring prime minister Ali Zeidan’s threats to bomb the ship and Oil Minister Omar Shakmak’s accusation of ‘piracy’.

The ship can carry up to 350,000 barrels of crude.

BDST: 1340 HRS, MAR 10, 2014