Iran’s Navy Claims Seizure Of Oil Tanker In Gulf Of Oman
Iran’s navy claimed on Thursday to have seized an oil tanker off the coast of Oman, following reports of a boarding earlier in the day.
In a statement released through Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency, the Iranian navy claimed that the seizure was conducted under a “court order” in retaliation for “theft” of Iranian oil.
Private intelligence firm TankerTrackers.com identified the seized tanker as the St Nikolas. Owned by Athens-based Empire Navigation, the St Nikolas was carrying a cargo of Iraqi oil to Turkey at the time of the seizure.
Empire Navigation confirmed that the St Nikolas had been boarded to Arab News, saying that it had a crew of 18 Filipinos and 1 Greek aboard at the time of the boarding.
The United Kingdom’s Maritime Trade Operations stated earlier on Thursday that it had received a report of 4-5 “armed unauthorized persons” in “military style black uniforms” and black masks boarding a vessel. Following the boarding, the Royal Navy-operated service reported that communications with the vessel were lost, with it altering course towards Iranian territorial waters.
Empire Navigation had previously operated the St Nikolas as the Suez Rajan. In April 2023, the Suez Rajan was seized by the United States after it had been found to have been transporting Iranian crude oil in violation of US sanctions, with Empire Navigation pleading guilty in September.
Under the shipping company’s agreement with the US Department of Justice, the Suez Rajan’s cargo of around a million barrels of Iranian crude oil was seized and transported to the United States for forfeiture. Empire Navigation was subject to a $2.45 million fine and three years of probation, although it claims to have reached an agreement with the Department of Justice to pay the cost of transporting the crude instead of paying the fine. In apparent retaliation for the seizure, Iran seized the Advantage Sweet tanker in April 2023.
While Iran has supplied one-way attack drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles used by Houthi militants in Yemen to attack merchant shipping in the Red Sea, direct action attributed to Iran has remained rare. In December, the Pentagon accused Iran of using a drone to attack a chemical tanker in the Indian Ocean, with the Indian Navy deploying warships to the Arabian Sea to escort merchant shipping following the attack.