A supertanker carrying Libyan oil from the rebel-held port of As-Sidra was boarded and seized by Navy Seals around 10 PM last night, EDT, forestalling a variety of outcomes ranging from bad to disastrous. The nominally Egyptian-owned and North Korean-chartered 200,000 barrel-capacity vessel is being disowned by the North Korean regime, which is claiming that its North Korean registration has been revoked.

The Libyan government claims that the oil belongs to the regime, a claim backed by the US government, which does not want the Islamist rebels to enjoy a bountiful revenue source like Libya’s premium-quality light crude. CNN reports that:

Libyan forces fired on the vessel but were called off by the U.S. Navy, fearing an environmental disaster.

Screen capture from CNN

A 200,000 barrel oil spill in the Mediterranean would have been a horrific disaster. However, the spectacle of the North Korean regime buying such a quantity of oil from Islamist rebels is not something the civilized world wants to see established as a precedent.

As with its symbolic protest over military maneuvers by the US and South Korea, the North Korean regime is backing away from its more extreme demonstrations of aggressiveness toward the West.

Once again, Navy SEALs have demonstrated that they are closest thing the real word has to superheroes.