An oil tanker carrying 24 Indian crew members was seized by Iran off the coast of Oman. The vessel, called Advantage Sweet, was being taken by Iran’s navy to an unnamed port due to an “international dispute”. The tanker had picked up oil from Kuwait and was chartered by Chevron Corp. It was bound for Houston, Texas. The US Navy demanded the release of the ship and criticised Iran’s “continued harassment” in Gulf waters. The vessel’s operator, Advantage Tankers, said that crew members caught up in similar incidents are usually safe. The company is working to secure the release of the crew and vessel with appropriate authorities.
This incident is the latest in a series of disruptive events in the Gulf waters, which carry about a third of the world’s seaborne oil. Such incidents have increased since 2018 when the US withdrew from a multinational accord that halted Iran’s nuclear programme. Talks to restart the agreement have stalled. Iran’s Western rivals recently toughened sanctions on its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Iran said that one of its vessels had crashed into the seized tanker, leaving two Iranian crew members missing and several others hurt. The country has not given any details about the status or nationality of any other crew involved.
