According to the report, this Thursday Iran announced the seizure of an oil tanker from the United States of America in the Gulf of Oman, heading to Turkey. Reuters.
“The Iranian Navy announced the seizure of an American oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman following a court order,” Iranian state media quoted the army as saying.
According to the United States, the seizure of the St. Nicholas could be Iran’s response to the United States, which in 2023 seized the same ship, which at that time was carrying Iranian oil smuggled to China.
According to British maritime security company Ambrey, the ship was approached by “four to five” armed men dressed in black military uniforms and black masks on Thursday. In a statement to the AP, Athens-based Empire Navigation acknowledged it had lost contact with the ship, which has a crew of 18 Filipinos and a Greek national. The company did not specify.
The Saint Nicholas was previously known as the Suez Rajan, associated with the Greek shipping company Empire Navigation.
Empire Navigation further clarified that “the charterer of the vessel is [petrolífera turca] Tupras” and confirmed the activation of the “emergency plan”.
“We have notified the competent authorities and are making every effort to restore contact with St. Nicholas,” the company said, as quoted by Europa Press.
Attention came to the Suez Rajan in February 2022 when the environmental group United Against Nuclear Iran said it suspected the tanker was carrying oil from Iran’s Kharg Island, Iran’s main oil distribution terminal in the Persian Gulf.
The ship remained in the South China Sea off the northeast coast of Singapore for months before suddenly heading toward the Texas coast without explanation. In August, the ship transferred its cargo to another tanker, which discharged the oil in Houston as part of a Justice Department order.
In September, Empire Navigation pleaded guilty to smuggling sanctioned Iranian crude oil and agreed to pay a fine of $2.4 million (about 2.2 million euros) in a case related to the tanker.
The seizure also comes after weeks of attacks by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels on shipping in the Red Sea, including the largest drone and missile bombardment in history that began on Tuesday.
The attack raised the risk of possible retaliation from U.S.-led forces currently patrolling the vital waterway, especially after the U.N. Security Council voted against the Houthis on Wednesday and U.S. and British officials warned of the potential fallout from the attacks.
Author: morning Post This Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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