IRGC: ‘Oil tanker was seized by judicial order related to its cargo’
TEHRAN, Nov. 15 (YPA) – Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy declared the seizure of the Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker “Talara” in the Gulf, after receiving a judicial order based on a judicial order related to its cargo.
In a statement on Friday, the naval force’s public relations department explained that its units monitored and tracked the tanker’s movements before stopping it at 7:30 a.m.
The statement indicated that the tanker was carrying 30,000 tons of petrochemicals en route to Singapore.
“A full inspection of the cargo and documents proved that there was a violation related to carrying an unlicensed shipment, which necessitated moving the ship to the dock to begin investigations, according to the statement.
On Friday, Western media outlets reported that the tanker had suddenly changed course towards Iranian waters, describing the incident as “unusual.” The British military warned of the possibility of state-sponsored activity behind the abrupt change of course.
Columbia Ship Management, the tanker’s operator, stated that it lost contact with the “Talara” while it was en route from Sharjah to Singapore, carrying a cargo of high-sulfur diesel fuel.
The maritime security firm Ambry also indicated that the ship had been approached by three small boats while transiting the Strait of Hormuz before it veered towards the Gulf of Oman.
The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) confirmed that it received a warning from a vessel 20 miles east of Khor Fakkan before being informed that the tanker was heading towards Iranian waters. A US MQ-4C Triton reconnaissance aircraft was also observed flying over the area during the incident.
There has been no comment yet from the US Fifth Fleet, which is based in Bahrain.
The incident, about which Iranian and Western accounts conflict, added a new layer of tension to one of the world’s most important maritime chokepoints, as the results of the investigation and the repercussions of the move will be awaited in the coming days.
AA