Tag: oil tanker

Gibraltar court to decide fate of seized Iranian tanker

Gibraltar authorities will also decide on the fate of four crew members of the Grace 1

Gibraltar: Gibraltar’s Supreme Court was to decide on Thursday whether an Iranian oil tanker seized last month near the tiny British territory can be held longer amid speculation that it might soon be released.

The Grace 1 supertanker, carrying 2.1 million barrels of Iranian oil, was seized on July 4 by Gibraltar police and British special forces off the overseas British territory, provoking a diplomatic crisis between Tehran and London. It was suspected of carrying oil to war-torn Syria in violation of EU sanctions.

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Source: gulfnews.com

Commercial ships warned against using private armed security in the Gulf

Shipping associations issue advice after a series of attacks blamed on Iran

Shipping companies sailing through the Arabian Gulf are being urged to avoid having private armed security guards on board as the risk of escalation in the region rises.

Relations between Iran and the West have become increasingly strained after Britain seized an Iranian tanker in Gibraltar last week and London said its warship HMS Montrose had to fend off Iranian vessels seeking to block a British-owned tanker from passing through the Strait of Hormuz.

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Source: thenational.ae

BP Oil Tanker Reportedly Being Kept Near Saudi Shores For Fear Of Iran Action

Persian Gulf/SoH

A report by Bloomberg says that a British oil tanker is staying in the Persian Gulf in fear of being seized by Iran in retaliation for an Iranian tanker impounded by the British and Gibraltar authorities since July 4.

The mid-size oil tanker capable of carrying one million barrels of oil was reportedly moving toward one of Iraq’s oil terminals when it changed course and is currently anchored close to Saudi Arabia.

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Source: en.radiofarda.com

Sources in Iran Deny Reports of Seizing UK Oil Tanker

Informed sources in Iran have dismissed the fabricated news of the seizure of a British oil tanker in the Persian Gulf, IRIB News Agency reported.

Earlier in the day, certain journalists and observers tracked the movement of the UK-flagged supertanker ‘Pacific Voyager’ in the Persian Gulf, and reported that it has “suspiciously” come to a halt in the middle of the Persian Gulf.

The reports were also dismissed by  a United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) official, who told Reuters the oil tanker was “safe and well”.

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Source: ifpnews.com

Saudi Arabia assists Iranian oil tanker in Red Sea, no injuries

RIYADH (Reuters) – Saudi Arabia’s coast guard assisted an Iranian oil tanker with engine trouble off the coast of Jeddah in the Red Sea after Riyadh received a request for help from Iran, the state news agency SPA said on Thursday.

Iran, which confirmed that its vessel had broken down in the area, and Saudi Arabia are arch-adversaries in the Middle East, backing opposite sides in several regional wars.

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Source: reuters.com

Navy Foils Pirate Attack On Iranian Oil Tanker

Iran’s naval forces saved one of the country’s oil tankers from a pirate attack in the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, which links the Gulf of Aden to the Red Sea, a Navy official said.

According to the official, the pirates launched the attack early on Thursday on board 11 speed boats.

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Source: iranian.com

Maritime Security News Note:

Well. It’s been quite some time since the Iranian Navy claimed to have foiled a pirate attack. Few navies have killed as many invisible pirates as Iran’s, and the location of this incident is curious to say the least. It’s unlikely that Somali pirates would transit that far our of the Gulf of Aden, given the military traffic around Yemen’s coast. Additionally, for Somali pirates to muster 11 skiffs to attack… in 2019? There isn’t a pinch of salt big enough, frankly. Generally, contact in this area is usually from elements of the Saudi coalition, who often patrol the anchorages off Mocha and Hodeidah by speed boat, or Houthi militants. It’s also unlikely that the Iranians would engage Houthis in combat.