Iran's Tasnim news agency announced on January 11 that the country had seized a US crude oil tanker in waters near Oman under an Iranian judicial order.
Oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman
Earlier, the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said illegal gunmen wearing military fatigues boarded the St Nikolas oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman on the morning of January 11. The Greek-owned, Marshall Islands-flagged ship changed course to Bandar-e-Jask in Iran.
UKMTO said four of the five gunmen who boarded the ship were wearing black military fatigues with black masks. UK maritime risk assessment firm Ambrey said the gunmen had covered up security cameras on the ship. A security officer said he heard strange voices on the phone, along with the voice of the ship's commander.
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The ship has a crew of 19, including 18 Filipinos and one Greek, said the ship's managing company, Empire Navigation.
The ship was carrying 145,000 tonnes of crude oil in Basra (Iraq) and was en route to Aliaga in Türkiye via the Suez Canal.
Ambrey said the ship, which had recently been renamed, had previously been fined for carrying embargoed Iranian oil and was seized by US authorities in 2023. "Iran has a history of taking action against those it accuses of collaborating with the US," Ambrey said.
The incident occurred amid tensions in the region's waters following a series of attacks by Iran-backed Houthi forces in Yemen.
The Houthis’ top negotiator Mohammed Abdulsalam told Reuters on January 11 that the Red Sea attacks would not affect the peace process between the group and Saudi Arabia, while accusing Israel of dragging the region into a wider war. The Houthis are pressuring Israel and the United States to end the fighting in the Gaza Strip, Abdulsalam said.
Also on January 11, Rear Admiral Emmanuel Slaars, commander of French forces in the region, said the French navy was escorting French ships through the Red Sea, according to Reuters. Mr. Slaars said that France was working closely with the US-led coalition but that command of French forces remained under the control of Paris. The rear admiral noted that French forces were not tasked with directly attacking the Houthis.
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