All crew of captured British oil tanker safe - media report

20:24, July 21, 2019

• 

  Iran says captured British tanker hits Iranian fishing boat

  A picture shows the crude oil tanker Stena Impero in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, April 3, 2018. (File photo: IC)The British oil tanker, seized by Iran on Friday, had an accident with an Iranian fishing boat and ignored its distress call, Allah-Morad Afifipoor, head of Ports and Maritime Organization in southern Hormozgan Province, said on Saturday.The British "Stena Impero" tanker had "collided with a fishing boat on its route and, according to law, after an accident, it is necessary that the causes should be investigated," Afifipoor was quoted as saying by Press TV.Following the collision on Friday, the Iranian fishing boat "contacted the British vessel but didnt receive any response," so they informed the Hormozgan maritime organization, he said.The tanker was taken to Irans Bandar Abbas port, where it and its crew will remain while a probe is carried out into the British vessels conduct, he added.The tanker was not carrying any cargo, he said, adding that "the investigation into the cause of the accident has started.""All of its 23 crew members will remain on the ship until the probe is over," he said."If necessary, and at the request of judicial authorities, the crew may be summoned for technical and specialist interviews," Afifpoor added.On Saturday, Tasnim news agency quoted an informed source as saying that a number of other "legal" reasons were also behind the seizure of the British oil tanker by Iran.On Friday, Irans Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) seized the British oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz for what it called "failing to respect the international maritime rules while passing through the strait."Earlier this month, British Royal Marines seized an Iranian ship in the Strait of Gibraltar, which Britain claimed was heading to Syria "in breach of EU sanctions."Iran had been threatening to retaliate if London did not release the Iranian ...

• 

  Iran says seizes British oil tanker in Strait of Hormuz

  Iranian soldiers patrol the Strait of Hormuz in southern Iran, April 30, 2019. (Photo: Xinhua)TEHRAN, July 19 (Xinhua) -- Irans Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) on Friday seized the British oil tanker, Stena Impero, in the Strait of Hormuz, an IRGC statement said."The British vessel was captured for failing to respect the international maritime rules while passing through the Strait of Hormuz," said the statement released by Public Relations of the IRGC.The oil tanker was delivered to Irans Hormozgan Ports and Maritime Organization at the Iranian coast for further legal procedures, the statement added.Earlier this month, British Royal Marines seized an Iranian ship in the Strait of Gibraltar, which Britain claimed was heading to Syria "in breach of EU sanctions."Iran had been threatening to retaliate in case London did not release the Iranian oil tanker.

• 

  Ukraine seizes Russian tanker, frees crew after Moscow threat

  (Photo: CGTN)Ukraine has released the crew of a Russian tanker detained in the port of Izmail, but the vessel is still being held by Ukrainian authorities, RIA news agency cited the Russian embassy in Ukraine as saying.Russian news agencies said around 15 Russians were on board at the time of the seizure.Senior Russian lawmaker Vladimir Dzhabarov on Thursday described the detention of a Russian tanker by Ukraine as "absolutely illegal" and said it was detrimental to relations between the two countries, RIA news agency reported.