Iran navy says it seized oil tanker off Oman

IRAN has said that its forces seized an oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman, which was reported earlier in the day to have been boarded by armed men in military uniforms, reports Al Jazeera.

The state-run IRNA news agency published a story acknowledging the seizure by Iran’s navy on Thursday. It did not identify the vessel, but said the seizure came as a result of a judicial order.

The British maritime security firm Ambrey earlier said the incident began at about 7:30 am (03:30 GMT) when “four or five” men boarded the Marshall Islands-flagged St Nikolas, around 50 nautical miles east of Sohar in Oman, and then headed towards Bandar-e-Jask in Iran

Tankertrackers.com, which tracks and reports global shipments of crude oil, said the tanker was carrying “Iraqi oil” and previously went by the name Suez Rajan.

Ambrey said the recently renamed tanker was previously prosecuted and fined for carrying sanctioned Iranian oil, which was confiscated by US authorities. The yearlong dispute ended with the US Justice Department seizing one million barrels of Iranian crude.

The British military’s UKTMO, which provides warnings to sailors in the Middle East, said the incident began in waters between Oman and Iran, and it had received a report from the ship’s security manager of hearing “unknown voices over the phone” alongside the ship’s captain.

Ambrey said that the men covered surveillance cameras as they boarded the vessel. As the tanker appeared to veer towards Bandar-e-Jask, its tracker was turned off, it added.

The St Nikolas was sailing from the Iraqi port of Basra to Turkey, according to Marine Traffic, a tracking website.

The Gulf of Oman, a key route for the oil industry that separates Oman and Iran, has witnessed a series of hijackings and attacks over the years, often involving Iran.