Synopsis:Iranian forces have seized a Suezmax tanker believed to have been transporting fuel for Chevron, according to the US Fifth Fleet. The vessel was attacked in the Gulf of Oman and taken under court order into Iranian waters. Iran alleges the ship was involved in a hit-and-run accident with an Iranian vessel overnight. The US has described the seizure as illegal under international law and has urged Iran to release the tanker. |
On April 27, Iranian forces boarded a tanker in the Gulf of Oman and brought it into Iranian waters, where a court order “seized” it, according to Iran. The US Naval Forces Central Command for the US Fifth Fleet originally reported that the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGCN) Navy took control of the ship after it passed the Strait of Hormuz. However, the US later updated its report and said it was the Iranian Navy that seized the ship. The vessel is known as the Suezmax tanker Advantage Sweet, which was operating on behalf of Chevron and transporting a less-than-cargo of refined products loaded in Kuwait.
The Advantage Sweet is managed by Turkish company Genel Denizcilik Nakliyati on behalf of Advantage Tankers of Switzerland. The ship was built in 2012 and has a deadweight tonnage of 159,000 dwt, and is registered in the Marshall Islands.
The Iranian government claims the seizure was justified by a collision between an unidentified ship and an Iranian ship in the Persian Gulf, resulting in the loss of two crew members and leaving others injured. Iran accuses the Advantage Sweet of being the undentified ship and claims it failed to report the collision and continued its voyage.
The US has condemned Iran’s actions and called for the Advantage Sweet to be released, stating that “Iran’s continued harassment of ships and interference with navigation rights in regional waters pose a threat to maritime security and the global economy.” The US reports at least five other instances of Iran illegally seizing merchant ships in the Middle East over the past two years.
Most of the recent incidents have involved smaller vessels for alleged fuel smuggling. The last major international tanker incident occurred eleven months ago when Iran seized two Greek-controlled tankers in retaliation for one of its tankers being held in Greece. Iran won a verdict in Greek courts over the return of the oil and its tanker, releasing the two Greek-controlled tankers in November 2022.
Source: News Network
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