Iran Releases Oil Cargo From St. Nikolas Tanker Seized In January 2024 In The Gulf Of Oman

Oil tanker — Image for representation purposes only

Iran has released the oil cargo from the Greek-owned, Marshall-Islands flagged tanker MT St. Nikolas seized earlier this year in the Gulf of Oman.

The vessel carrying 1 million barrels of crude oil destined for Turkey is still under Iranian control.

The cargo was released after negotiations and was transferred to a Turkish vessel this week, according to shipping sources.

The cargo acquired from Iraqi state oil company SOMO by Turkish refiner Tupras was transferred into the Turkey-flagged tanker T.Semahat in a ship-to-ship operation near Iran’s Larak Island between July 23 and 25, 2024.

Tupras verified that the crude oil is now en route to its refinery and is expected to arrive in September.

The US advocacy group United Against Nuclear Iran chief of staff Claire Jungman stated that the shipment was tracked using satellite data.

According to LSEG shipping data, T.Semahat, operated by Turkish-based Ditas, which is majority-owned by Tupras, was en route to the port of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates on July 25, 2024.

The St. Nikolas, managed by Empire Navigation and built in 2017, was seized by Iran in January 2024.

Empire Navigation added that the vessel was loaded with 1,45,000 crude oil and was carrying 18 Filipinos and one Greek citizen at the time of the seizure.

The move was a retaliation for the United States’ seizure of the vessel and its cargo last year.

During the time of the seizure, armed men wearing masks boarded the St. Nikolas near the Omani port of Sohar and ordered it to sail to an Iranian port.

The crew onboard the St. Nikolas was released in March 2024, and a new crew replaced them.

In a similar incident, another vessel, Advantage Sweet, chartered by Chevron, carrying a $51 million crude cargo, was captured by Iran in April 2023 and later released.

Iran’s detention of the St. Nikolas is part of an ongoing series of tit-for-tat maritime seizures due to US sanctions, reestablished in 2018 by former President Donald Trump.

As of January 2024, the United States claimed that Iran was holding five ships and over 90 crew members from vessels intercepted in 2023.

The Iranian foreign and oil ministries did not respond to requests for immediate comment.

Reference: Reuters, BBC

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