Dubai (AFP)
Stena Impero, the Swedish flag-carrying oil tanker, arrived at the port of Dubai on Saturday, the day after Iran's release, according to a press pool.
The ship left Friday the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas (south) where it was anchored since its seizure more than two months ago, according to the tracking website MarineTraffic.com.
He entered the Rachid port in Dubai on Saturday afternoon after stopping in the night off Emirati, according to MarineTraffic.com. A pool of journalists present in this commercial port confirmed the arrival of the tanker.
The Revolutionary Guards, Iran's ideological army, boarded the 183-meter tanker on July 19, accusing it of ignoring distress calls and turning off its transponder after colliding with a fishing boat.
His arrest came after an announcement of the prolongation of the seizure of an Iranian tanker by the authorities of Gibraltar, a British territory in the extreme south of Spain. Tehran had denied that it was a reprisal. The Iranian tanker was then released.
These seizures came amidst tensions in the region, exacerbated by the standoff between Iran and the United States, two enemy countries that have not maintained diplomatic relations since 1980.
On Wednesday, Iran said that the seizure of the Stena Impero has been lifted but that the criminal record "concerning offenses and environmental damage would remain open". "The captain and the owner have signed on this subject a written undertaking by which they accept (in advance) the verdict" to be pronounced at the end of the proceedings.
Images released Saturday by the Iranian agency show the boat's captain sign what appears to be the ship's release documents before he leaves the port. We also see crew members, dressed in red and protective helmets, lift anchor.
After the seizure, the tanker was taken to the port of Bandar Abbas with a crew of 23 people on board, seven of whom were released on 4 September.
He was arrested after the Gibraltar court announced the extension of the seizure of the Iranian tanker Grace 1 detained on 4 July.
The Gibraltar government and the United States said they suspected his cargo was destined for Syria, in violation of the sanctions against that country. After having been authorized to leave on August 15th, this famous tanker Adrian Darya 1 left Gibraltar on the 18th.
The Gibraltar authorities then claimed to have received Tehran's written promise not to send to Syria the 2.1 million barrels of oil that the ship was carrying, which Iran has denied. And on September 10, London accused Iran of breaking its word by delivering oil to Syria.
Iran-US tensions have steadily increased since the US unilateral withdrawal of the Iran nuclear agreement in 2018 and the reinstatement of heavy US sanctions against Iran.
pool-sy-sls / on / vl / on
© 2019 AFP