Iranian Navy confiscated US oil tanker in the Sea of Oman

Published at: 12/01/2024 01:28 PM

The Iranian Navy reported on Thursday the confiscation of a US oil tanker in the Sea of Oman, stating that the action is in retaliation for the US “theft” of Iranian oil in April 2023, said a statement published by the public relations website of the Iranian army.

The statement indicated that the Navy took control of the oil tanker “St Nikolas” after a court order and confirmation from the Maritime and Port Organization of Iran.

The ship, previously called “Suez Rajan”, “stole” a shipment of Iranian oil last year under instructions from the United States, the statement said, adding that the Iranian oil was then moved to U.S. ports and delivered to the United States.

The oil tanker “St Nikolas” was carrying oil in the Sea of Oman this morning when it was confiscated by the Iranian Navy in response to alleged US actions, the statement added.

The confiscated oil tanker will be transferred to Iranian ports for subsequent delivery to judicial authorities, the Navy said.

Media outlets that quoted Ambrey, a British maritime security company, reported that the tanker was identified as the “St Nikolas”, flying the flag of the Marshall Islands and that it was “approached by armed intruders while sailing near the Omani port city of Sohar”. They noted that their automatic identification system was turned off when “heading to the Iranian port of Bandar-e-Jask”.

In a post on the social media platform X, TankerTrackers, a platform that tracks the trade of crude oil, indicated that “the oil tanker that Iranians have boarded today in the Gulf of Oman is the St Nikolas (9524475), which transports Iraqi oil.”

He confirmed that the vessel, formerly known as “Suez Rajan”, was once “confiscated by the U.S. government for transporting one million barrels of Iranian oil in connection with a U.S. company.”

Ambrey also confirmed that previously, during a US sanction operation, the tanker had been prosecuted and fined for transporting “sanctioned Iranian oil”.

The United States Department of Justice admitted last September that it seized an oil tanker loaded with Iranian oil in April 2023, which it identified as “Suez Rajan”, a Greek-run oil tanker carrying 980,000 barrels of crude oil.

XINHUA/Mazo News Team