Iran experts to investigate seizure of British oil tanker; official told ILNA
Director-general of the Hormozgan province port and maritime authority, said experts would investigate seizure of a British-flagged oil tanker in the Persian Gulf.
Speaking to ILNA news agency, Allahmorad Afifipoor said that the fishermen had issued a distress call after the collision, contacting the port authority when they “didn’t receive any response”.
"Now, the crew is on board, and the judicial authority, if necessary, is requesting the presence of a crew on land."
“One of the reasons the British tanker was seized for further investigation was that for a period of time it was moving on its route with its transponder turned off,” Afifipoor told. "All shipping lines in the world can pass through the waters of Iran by observing international laws."
“All 23 crew members aboard the ship are safe and in good health in Bandar Abbas port,” he said.
he Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) in a statement on Friday announced seizure of a British oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz.
Following seizure, the oil tanker was delivered to the Ports and Shipping Organization to undergo legal procedures, the statement said.
Britain on Saturday denounced Iran’s seizure of a British-flagged oil tanker as a “hostile act” and rejected Tehran’s explanation that it seized the vessel because it had been involved in an accident.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards posted a video online showing speedboats pulling alongside the Stena Impero tanker, its name clearly visible.
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