Iran seized an oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman

Iranian naval forces seized an oil tanker under the flag of the Marshall Islands in the Gulf of Oman in international waters, which was chartered by the American company Chevron.

This was reported by Reuters with reference to the statement of the US Navy.

Iran’s military said it seized a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman after it collided with an Iranian boat, injuring several crew members, Iranian state media reported.

“Two members of the boat’s crew went missing, and several were injured as a result of the collision between the ship and the boat,” the army said in a statement.

The US Navy has identified the vessel as the Advantage Sweet. According to data from Refinitiv’s vessel tracking system, it is a Suezmax oil tanker chartered by oil company Chevron. The tanker last docked in Kuwait.

Chevron said it was aware of the situation involving the Advantage Sweet tanker and “is in contact with the operator of the vessel with the hope of resolving this situation as soon as possible,” a company spokesman said.

According to vessel tracking data, the destination was the port of Houston in the US Gulf of Mexico.

The Turkish company Genel Denizcilik Nakliyati AS is listed as its shipowner. T

“Iran’s continued harassment of vessels and interference with navigational rights in regional waters is a threat to maritime security and the global economy,” the US Navy said, adding that Iran had illegally seized at least five commercial vessels in the Middle East over the past two years.

The U.S. Navy added that after sending a P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft to monitor the situation, “we were able to determine that the hijacking was carried out by IRIN (Iranian Navy).”