Iran seizes foreign oil ship; 18 staff onboard including Indians

TEHRAN: Iran seized a foreign oil ship at the Bay of Oman. There are 18 staff on the ship, including Indians. The action is on the grounds that 6 million litres of diesel from Iran were smuggled by ship. The incident happened on Friday, near the southern port city of Jask, within the maritime border of Iran. The mission was led by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. Apart from Indians, citizens from Sri Lanka and Bangladesh are also on the ship. They have been taken to Hormozgan province for questioning. Meanwhile, the Iranian officials have not yet confirmed the country or owner of the ship. Ships used to smuggle oil secretly, bypassing international laws and sanctions (dark fleet / shadow fleet) often travel while hiding their ownership and location. There are allegations of widespread fuel smuggling in the region due to the high subsidy rate of Iran and the low local price. Iranian ships have been seized before as well for this reason.

Secret movement without documents

• Iranian judicial officials say that the ship is part of a fuel smuggling mission.
• They also say that the ship doesn’t have necessary documents.
• It is alleged that all navigation systems on the ship were deliberately turned off to prevent the vessel’s position from being tracked.
• The ship also attempted to cross, ignoring the warning of Revolutionary Guard.

Reply to the US?
The US had recently seized an Iranian-linked oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela. Doubts are raised on whether Iran seized the ship from the Gulf of Oman in retaliation for the US move. The US had seized the ship of a company with headquarters in the Marshall Islands, accusing it of being part of an illegal chain which smuggles prohibited oil from Venezuela and Iran. The ship was carrying 1.8 million barrels of crude oil from Venezuela.