Indonesia releases Iranian tanker

SANAA, May 29 (YPA) – Tehran announced that the Indonesian authorities on Friday released an Iranian oil tanker it had seized in late January.

The National Iranian Tanker Company, according to the semi-official Mehr news agency, confirmed that the tanker, MT Horse, was released on Friday, after 125 days of detention, thanks to the efforts of high-ranking officials and consular assistance provided by the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The company indicated that the ship will resume its mission and then return home.

At the same time, Reuters quoted the Indonesian Coast Guard as saying that it is investigating Iranian reports on the matter.

The Indonesian authorities announced when they detained MT Horse that this action came due to suspicions that the ship was transporting a cargo of oil illegally in the country’s waters, but the Iranian Foreign Ministry stated that the detention of the tanker came due to a “technical issue that occurs in the field of shipping.”

The Iranian authorities used this tanker last year to transport 2.1 million barrels of oil condensate to Venezuela, bypassing US sanctions imposed on both countries.