UK authorities said the tanker had ‘veered off course’ before capture.
According to RT report, the Stena Impero was headed to Saudi Arabia but left the international sea lanes and headed north towards the Iranian island of Qeshm, marine tracking data showed on Friday.
The 30,000-ton tanker is owned by Stena Bulk, and was bound for the Saudi port of Al Jubail.
Iranian state TV reported that it was seized by the IRGC naval units for “not following international maritime regulations.”
London said it was “assessing the situation following reports of an incident in the Gulf.”
The ship’s owners, according to a report by the Guardian issued a statement saying it had been “approached by unidentified small crafts and a helicopter during transit of the Strait of Hormuz while the vessel was in international waters.”
“We are presently unable to contact the vessel which is now heading north towards Iran,” the owners, Stena Bulk, and the ship’s managers, Northern Marine, said in the statement.
The UK ministry of defence said it was urgently looking into what had happened to the Stena Impero, a British-flagged ship, which was heading for Saudi Arabia when it abruptly left the international sea lanes through the strait of Hormuz and tracking data showed it heading north towards the Iranian island of Qeshm, where the Iran’s Revolutionary Guard has a substantial base.
The Revolutionary Guards issued a statement saying they had seized the Stena Impero, citing international maritime law for their action.
According to RT report, the Stena Impero was headed to Saudi Arabia but left the international sea lanes and headed north towards the Iranian island of Qeshm, marine tracking data showed on Friday.
The 30,000-ton tanker is owned by Stena Bulk, and was bound for the Saudi port of Al Jubail.
Iranian state TV reported that it was seized by the IRGC naval units for “not following international maritime regulations.”
London said it was “assessing the situation following reports of an incident in the Gulf.”
The ship’s owners, according to a report by the Guardian issued a statement saying it had been “approached by unidentified small crafts and a helicopter during transit of the Strait of Hormuz while the vessel was in international waters.”
“We are presently unable to contact the vessel which is now heading north towards Iran,” the owners, Stena Bulk, and the ship’s managers, Northern Marine, said in the statement.
The UK ministry of defence said it was urgently looking into what had happened to the Stena Impero, a British-flagged ship, which was heading for Saudi Arabia when it abruptly left the international sea lanes through the strait of Hormuz and tracking data showed it heading north towards the Iranian island of Qeshm, where the Iran’s Revolutionary Guard has a substantial base.
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