Webdesk: Iran took over an oil tanker with a flag from the Marshall Islands in international waters. It is in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday, the US Navy said. This is the latest in a series of attacks or seizures of commercial ships in the Gulf since 2019.
Iranian state media said that Iran’s army took over a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman after it hit an Iranian boat and hurt several crew members.
A statement from the army said, “Two people on the boat’s crew are missing. Several others hurt when the ship hit the boat.”
The ship called the Advantage Sweet by the US Navy. According to ship tracking data from Refinitiv. It is a Suezmax crude tanker that chartered by the big oil company Chevron (CVX.N). It had been in Kuwait most recently.
A spokesperson for Chevron said that the company is aware of the situation with the Advantage Sweet. It is “in contact with the vessel operator” to try to solve the problem as soon as possible.
Ship tracking data showed that the ship was going to the US Gulf of Mexico port of Houston.
Its manager is listed as Genel Denizcilik Nakliyati AS. When asked for a comment, the Turkey-based company didn’t answer right away.
The Marshall Islands Maritime Administrator said it knew about the situation and was talking to the owner/operator of the ship, but it wouldn’t say anything else.
“Iran’s continued harassment of ships and interference with navigational rights in regional waters are a threat to maritime security and the global economy,” the US Navy said, adding that Iran has illegally taken at least five commercial ships in the Middle East in the past two years.
