Iran says seized 'American' ship over 'theft' of Iranian oil

The ship was carrying 19 crew -- 18 Filipinos and one Greek.

Published on: Jan 11, 2024, 21:58:02 IST

By HT News Desk

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Iran on Thursday said it has seized an "American" ship off the coast of Oman. According to the Iranian media, the ship was used by the United States for stealing its oil last year.

The announcement came hours after the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said armed men boarded the Greek-owned and Marshall Islands-flagged ship named St Nikolas. The ship, according to the British agency, changed its course towards Bandar-e-Jask in Iran.

Iran's navy said in a statement that it has seized a ship named St Nicholas, previously called Suez Rajan. IRNA news agency said the action was taken in retaliation to "violation committed by the Suez Rajan ship... and the theft of Iranian oil by the United States".

"The Navy of the Islamic Republic of Iran seized an American oil tanker in the waters of the Gulf of Oman in accordance with a court order," it added.

Those who boarded the ship covered its cameras.

The ship was carrying 19 crew -- 18 Filipinos and one Greek.

AFP reported that the ship is owned by Greece-based Empire Navigation.

The ship, with 145,000 tonnes of crude oil, was going from Basra, Iraq, to Aliaga in Turkey via the Suez Canal.

The US authorities last year confiscated sanctioned Iranian oil being carried by the ship. The ship was later renamed after being prosecuted and fined.

The ship is being “transferred to the ports of the Islamic republic for delivery to the judicial authorities”, Iranian authorities said.

Why Iran seized the ship

In September 2023, the United States said it had seized the Suez Rajan and its cargo of 980,000 barrels of crude oil months earlier.

The US Department of Justice said at the time that the oil on the Greek-managed tanker was allegedly being sold by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to China.

In a tit-for-tat move, Iran later seized two tankers -- the Marshall Islands-flagged Advantage Sweet and Greek-owned Niovi.

This comes amid attacks and hijacking attempts by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in the Red Sea.

With inputs from AFP

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HT News Desk
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