Iran seizes Marshall Islands oil tanker in Gulf of Oman
Dubai, April 27
Iran seized a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday amid wider tensions over Tehran’s nuclear program, the latest-such capture in a waterway crucial for global energy supplies.
Advantage sweet
- US navy Mideast-based 5th Fleet identified the vessel as the Advantage Sweet
- The vessel issued a distress call at 1.15 pm while in international waters
- Incident after unknown ship collided with an Iranian vessel last night in the Persian Gulf, as per reports
US navy’s Mideast-based 5th Fleet identified the vessel as the Advantage Sweet. Satellite tracking data for the vessel from MarineTraffic.com showed it in the Gulf of Oman just north of Oman’s capital, Muscat, on Thursday afternoon. It had just come from Kuwait and listed its destination as Houston, Texas.
The Advantage Sweet issued a distress call at 1.15 pm while in international waters as Iran seized the vessel, the navy said. Irans actions are contrary to international law and disruptive to regional security and stability,” the 5th Fleet said. “Iran should immediately release the oil tanker.” The navy initially said Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard seized the vessel, but an American naval aircraft later confirmed that Iran’s navy captured the ship, 5th Fleet spokesman Cmdr Timothy Hawkins said. — AP
