DUBAI: TheBritish-flagged oil tanker Stena Impero arrived in Dubai yesterday, after beingdetained with its crew in Iran for more than two months in an incident thatinflamed tensions in the region. Iran's Revolutionary Guards seized the vesselin the Strait of Hormuz on July 19 after surrounding it with attack boats andrappelling onto its deck. It was then impounded off the Iranian port of BandarAbbas for allegedly failing to respond to distress calls and turning off itstransponder after hitting a fishing boat.
But the seizurewas widely seen as a tit-for-tat move after authorities in the British overseasterritory of Gibraltar detained an Iranian tanker on suspicion it was shippingoil to Syria in breach of EU sanctions. Tehran repeatedly denied the cases wererelated. British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said however that the tankerwas "unlawfully seized by Iran" as part of attempts to "disruptfreedom of navigation".
On Friday, theStena Impero was finally cleared to sail from Iran and into internationalwaters of the Gulf. "Despite the vessel's clearance, its legal case isstill open in Iran's courts," Hormozgan province's maritime organizationin southern Iran said on its website. The tanker's captain and crew have"given a written, official statement that they have no claims", itadded.
The ship dockedat Port Rashid in Dubai yesterday after halting off the coast of the emirateovernight, according to data from ship tracking website MarineTraffic.com. Poolreporters at the commercial port confirmed the ship had moored and theSwedish-owned vessel was seen surrounded by several small boats, including atleast one flying the United Arab Emirates flag.
The CEO of StenaBulk, the firm that owns the vessel, had said the ship's sailing was"obviously a relief" and that the priority was those on board. Sevenof its 23 crew members were released on Sept 4. "When we reach Dubai wewill firstly take care of the crew and then try and get the ship in operationalorder again," Erik Hanell told AFP on Friday. The tanker's crew are"safe and in high spirits" and arrangements had been made for them toreturn to their families upon arrival in Dubai, he said.
"The crewwill have a period of time to be with their families following 10 weeks ofdetainment on the vessel. Full support will be offered to the crew and familiesin the coming weeks to assist with their recovery." Photos released by theIranian agency Fars News yesterday showed the black and red-hulled tankersailing from Bandar Abbas in southern Iran the previous day. The images alsoshowed the captain apparently signing the ship's release documents before itleft port, and the crew - dressed in red overalls and safety gear - liftinganchor ahead of the journey.
Tensions haverisen in the Gulf since May last year when US President Donald Trumpunilaterally abandoned a 2015 nuclear deal between major powers and Iran andbegan reimposing crippling sanctions in a campaign of "maximumpressure". They flared again this May when Iran began reducing its owncommitments under the deal and the US deployed military assets to theregion. Since then, ships have beenattacked, drones downed and oil tankers seized.
In June, Trumpcalled off air strikes against Iran at the last minute after the Islamicrepublic's forces shot down a US drone. This month, twin attacks on Saudi oilinfrastructure, which knocked out half the kingdom's production, drewaccusations of blame against Iran not only from the US but also from itsEuropean allies. Tehran has denied any involvement in the attacks, which wereclaimed by Iran-backed rebels fighting a Saudi-led coalition in Yemen.
The US has sinceformed a coalition with its allies Australia, Bahrain, Britain, Saudi Arabiaand the UAE to escort commercial shipping in the Gulf. Tehran has warned thatthe planned US-led International Maritime Security Construct will cause more,not less instability. It has proposed a rival security plan of its own.Speaking at the UN General Assembly in New York, President Hassan Rouhani thisweek announced a plan dubbed the "Hormuz Peace Endeavour" or"HOPE". He gave no details but called on all of Iran's Gulf neighborsto join, saying: "Security cannot be provided with American weapons andintervention." - AFP