Iran’s Revolutionary Guard intercepted and is detaining two Greek flagged crude oil ships that were leaving the Persian Gulf in retaliation for Greece allowing the US seizure of a cargo of Iranian crude. According to reports, the tankers were captured in international waters by helicopters and Iranian gunboats and diverted to Iran. According to reports from other warships in the Gulf, as well as claims from Iranian news media and the Greek Foreign Ministry, both vessels have gone dark.
The moves came just hours after the Iranians threatened to take “punitive acts against Greece” in response to the Greek government’s arrest of an Iranian tanker. Iran reported that it had summoned Greek diplomats to receive an official protest, while in a public statement they called Greece’s actions “an act of piracy,” while demanding that Greece abide by international maritime law. The Iranian news agencies are also reporting that the Foreign Ministry delivered a protest to the United States via the Swiss today.
The Greek Foreign Ministry responded quickly and strongly also calling today’s actions “equivalent to acts of piracy. The Secretary-General strongly condemned the actions by the Iranians, saying they were contrary to fundamental rules of international law and international navigation, and called for the immediate release of the ships and their crews.
In the statement released by the Greek Ministry, they said, “Earlier today, a helicopter of the Iranian navy boarded the Greek-flagged ship Delta Poseidon which was sailing in international waters (22 nautical miles off the coast of Iran) in the Gulf. Armed men then captured the ship’s crew, including two Greek citizens. A similar incident was reported to have occurred on another Greek-flagged ship, aboard seven Greek nationals, off the Iranian coast.”
The two tankers are being identified as the Prudent Warrior, a 150,000 dwt Greek flagged crude oil tanker operated by Polembros Shipping, and the Delta Poseidon a 157,280 dwt tanker operated by Delta Tankers. Both vessels had loaded cargos at Basrah, Iraq, and were outbound in the Persian Gulf. The Prudent Warrior was reportedly heading to the United States while the Delta tanker was heading to Greece.
Polembros Shipping posted a brief statement confirming that its ship had been “intercepted by an Iranian team.” They reported that the tanker had turned off its AIS signal and that it was not possible to contact the vessel. They were responding to information relayed from other vessels sailing in the vicinity.
The Iranians apparently first approached the Prudent Warrior and approximately 90 minutes later the Delta Poseidon, based on when each vessel stopped transmitting their positions. One vessel was reported to be near Assuluyeh and the other near Bandar Lengeh. Iranian warships directed each vessel toward shore. Monitoring services are reporting that neither vessel issued a distress call.
Polembros, said that the vessel has a crew of 24 onboard and it believes the tanker was anchored approximately 11 miles offshore. The Delta Poseidon reportedly has a crew of 25 aboard. The Iranian Guard issued a statement saying that two Greek tankers had been detained due to “violations” in the Persian Gulf. In recent weeks, the Iranians had also reported detaining several smaller unnamed vessels accusing them of smuggling oil in the Persian Gulf.
