Iranian state media announced that Tehran seized a tanker carrying Iraqi crude oil en route to Turkey on Thursday in response to the US seizing the same tanker and its oil last year, a move likely to escalate regional tensions. The "Tasnim" news agency reported that Tehran had detained a US oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman under a judicial order. The Iranian navy also announced that it had confiscated an oil tanker off the coast of Oman, according to official media reports.
The Greek shipping company "Empire Navigation" reported today that the "hijacked" tanker Saint Nicholas is leased by the Turkish company "Tupras." They stated that they had activated their emergency plan and notified the relevant authorities, doing their utmost to restore communication with the vessel. The company noted that the tanker was carrying approximately 145,000 metric tons of crude oil loaded in the Iraqi port of Basra days before, with its cargo destined for Aliaga in Turkey via the Suez Canal.
Two British maritime security agencies, "UKMTO" and "Ambrey," reported on Thursday that armed assailants boarded a vessel in the Gulf of Oman near Iran, indicating that contact with the ship had been lost. "UKMTO," managed by the Royal Navy, stated it received a report from the security manager about "hearing unknown voices via phone" with the ship's captain. "Empire Navigation" mentioned that the vessel seized by Iran had 19 crew members, including one Greek and 18 Filipinos.
The public relations department of the Iranian naval forces announced that "the naval forces detained the American oil tanker by order of judicial authorities within the waters of the Gulf of Oman." They noted that the oil tanker "Suez Rajan" was hijacked last year by the United States. They continued, "Tracking data revealed that the tanker moved to US coasts and unloaded its cargo. There, the vessel's name was changed to Nicholas ST and it was transporting oil in the waters of the Gulf of Oman." They added, "Our forces, adhering to the court mandate, tracked the tanker and brought it to Iranian ports for detention."
