What is the Strait of Hormuz and why is it so important for oil?
Iranian Television reported on Sunday that Iran’s top security body must take a final decision on whether to close the Strait of Hormuz.
DUBAI – Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have seized the Marshall Islands-flagged oil products tanker Talala and entered Iranian territorial waters, maritime security sources reported, but the ship’s management said it had lost contact with its crew.
Maritime officials said the tanker had previously sailed off the coast of the United Arab Emirates, carrying a cargo of high-sulfur gas oil through the Indian Ocean on its way from Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates to Singapore.
“Contact was lost at around 8:22 a.m. local time (3:22 a.m. ET) on Friday approximately 20 nautical miles off the coast of Khor Fakkan, United Arab Emirates,” Columbia Shipmanagement, the ship’s management company, said in a statement, adding that it was working closely with relevant parties, including coast guard agencies and the ship’s owner, to restore contact.
Columbia Shipmanagement did not provide further details.
The ship is owned by Cyprus-based Pasha Finance.
Britain’s naval agency UKMTO said the incident was “believed to be state-related and the vessel was sailing towards Iranian territorial waters.”
The tanker was seized at sea by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) and diverted to the Iranian coast, according to British maritime emergency management group Vanguard and maritime security officials.
The foreign ministries of the UAE and Iran did not respond to requests for comment.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have regularly seized commercial ships in Gulf waters in recent years for maritime violations, including suspected smuggling, technical violations and legal disputes.
The ship last reported its position at around 8:10 a.m. ET, sailing near the Iranian coast, according to ship tracking data from Marine Traffic on Friday.
