Iran: Oil tanker steals oil and transports it to the US
4-5 gunmen boarded the ship without permission… Go to Iranian port
Iran acknowledged the capture of the US oil tanker St. Nicholas, which was reportedly attacked by armed men in the Strait of Hormuz, which connects the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.
According to the Associated Press on the 11th (local time), Iranian state TV announced the capture this afternoon, saying, “The violative oil tanker Suez Rajan stole Iranian oil and transported it to the United States and delivered it to the Americans.” The Suez Rajan is the old name of the Saint Nicholas.
It was explained that the capture was carried out by the Navy, not Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard.
Earlier this morning, the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) warned that unauthorized persons had boarded the St. Nicholas ship, which was operating in the waters between Oman and Iran entering the Strait of Hormuz.
Additional attempts to contact the ship were unsuccessful, and it was reported that the intruding men were wearing black masks and military uniforms.
Ambry, a private intelligence company, also said that “four to five gunmen in military uniform were on board” the St. Nicholas, and that they blocked the surveillance cameras while on board.
The Saint Nicholas departed from Basra, Iraq, and was heading to Turkiye Aliagha, but then turned around and headed for the port of Jask, Iran, according to satellite tracking data analyzed by the AP.
The Saint Nicholas is an oil tanker formerly called the Suez Rajan, which became the cause of a dispute between the United States and Iran in February 2022 due to suspicions that it was transporting Iranian oil.
In a year-long dispute, the U.S. Justice Department seized 1 million barrels worth of Iranian crude oil aboard the ship. Greek shipping company Empire Navigation admitted to charges of smuggling Iranian crude oil in September last year and agreed to pay a fine of $2.4 million (3.1572 billion won).
Empire Navigation said in a statement to the Associated Press that it had lost contact with the St. Nicholas and that 18 Filipinos and one Greek were on board the ship.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.