The UK-flagged tanker seized by Iran more than two months ago is preparing to leave the country, the ship’s owner said on Friday, but is still to reach international waters.
The Stena Impero, whose seizure by Iran sparked a crisis over the security of oil shipments in the Strait of Hormuz, was taken by the Islamic Republic in late July in apparent retaliation for the UK seizing an Iranian oil tanker off Gibraltar.
“The vessel is preparing to leave Iran and we will advise once she is clear of Iranian waters,” a spokesman for Sweden’s Stena Bulk said.
Iran said this week the vessel was free to leave but there had been little evident movement of the ship, which is crewed by Indian, Russian and Filipino nationals.
The UK detained the Iranian supertanker Grace 1 — since renamed Adrian Darya 1 — because it was suspected to be shipping Iranian crude to Syria in violation of EU sanctions. Gibraltar has since released the Iranian ship, which subsequently sailed to the coast of Syria. The US, UK and Iran have all said the oil has been sold from the ship, but satellite imagery suggests the vessel is still fully laden sitting low in the water.
Iran said it had seized the Stena Impero because it had failed to observe international maritime rules and regulations.
