Empire Navigation, the owners of the Suezmax tanker St Nikolas, confirmed that the 18 Filipino and one Greek crew members are safe after the vessel was seized by Iranian authorities. The company’s P&I Club correspondents had been in contact with the Iranian authorities to confirm the safety and well-being of the crew. The company had not been in direct touch with the crew since the seizure, and the satellite communications system on the vessel remains disabled.
The St Nikolas, with an IMO number of 9524475 and Marshall Islands flag, is currently anchored near the port of Bandar Abbas in Iran. The vessel was seized by Iranian authorities in retaliation for the US seizure of crude oil being sold by sanctioned Iranian authorities. The US had previously arrested the St Nikolas in 2022 for breaking sanctions on Tehran, fining Empire Navigation $2.4 million.
Despite the ongoing tensions, the company has confirmed that all crew members are safe and in good health. The situation remains complex, with the vessel still under Iranian control and the crew’s communication system disabled. Iranian news outlets have reported the hijacking as a retaliatory measure against the US seizure of Iranian crude oil.
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