REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, BENGHAZI -- Libyan authorities intercepted a North Korean-flagged tanker on Monday which had loaded crude from a rebel-held eastern port, as the conflict over the country's key petroleum revenues escalated.

Former rebels calling for autonomy for the eastern Cyrenaica region have been blockading the port of Al-Sidra and other key eastern export terminals since July.

But the North Korean-flagged Morning Glory, which docked in Al-Sidra on Saturday, was the first ship to take on crude from a rebel-held port since the standoff with the central government began.

Officials threatened armed action if necessary to stop it putting to sea and announced that a military task force was being formed to bring the rebel ports back under government control.

"Naval and revolutionary forces are in control of the tanker Morning Glory and are escorting it to a state-controlled port," the country's top legislative and executive body, the General National Congress, said on its website.

Oil Minister Omar al-Shakmak had said earlier that the ship had interrupted loading late Sunday and put back to sea.

The 350,000 barrel-capacity vessel had only taken on 234,000 barrels of crude, according to a member of a government crisis team.

Warships had deployed to block the Morning Glory after Culture Minister Amin al-Habib warned on Sunday the tanker would be "turned into a pile of metal" if it tried to leave port.

The defence ministry had also deployed the air force, the official LANA news agency said.

Washington said Sunday 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.

"The oil belongs to the (state-run) Libyan National Oil Company and its joint venture partners."

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