Crew of Stena Impero in Good Health: Owners
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The owners of Stena Impero, a British-flagged oil tanker seized by Iran earlier this month, said on Saturday that Indian, Russian and Philippine embassy officials met crew members from their respective countries and reported that they were in good health.
“We hope this situation can be resolved swiftly and will continue to hold an open dialogue with all involved governments and authorities to secure the release of the crew and vessel,” Stena Bulk and Northern Marine Management said in a statement.
Iranian commandos seized the British-flagged tanker in the world’s most important waterway for oil shipments on July 19 for violating international maritime regulations.
Stena Impero was seized for three cases of violation of maritime law when it was passing through the high-traffic Strait of Hormuz last week. The UK vessel had switched off its GPS locator, in contravention of international regulations, and was sailing into the Strait of Hormuz in a wrong traffic pattern. The British tanker was entering the strait from the southern route which is an exit path, increasing the risk of an accident. Moreover, Stena Impero had not heeded any of the warnings from the Iranian Ports and Maritime Organization.
