Oil tanker bound for the US seized by Iran after ‘collision’

Vessel operated by Turkish company was moving product from Kuwait to Houston.

The oil tanker Advantage Sweet in Turkey earlier this year. Picture: Reuters

Iran’s naval forces have seized an oil tanker bound for Texas, drawing condemnation from the US military at a time of heightened tensions between Tehran and Washington.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy seized the tanker, Advantage Sweet, while it moved through international waters in the Gulf of Oman at 1.15pm on Thursday, US Naval Forces Central Command said. The US Fifth Fleet was monitoring the situation.

Advantage Sweet had ­departed the Mina Saud port in Kuwait on Tuesday and was destined for Houston. The tanker ­issued a distress call during the seizure. Brokers said the ship was chartered by Chevron and had loaded 750,000 barrels of crude in Kuwait.

“Iran’s actions are contrary to international law and disruptive to regional security and stability,” US Naval Command said. “The Iranian government should immediately release the oil tanker.”

Chevron spokeswoman Christine Dobbyn said the company was aware of the situation involving the Advantage Sweet.

“We are in contact with the vessel operator with the hope of resolving this situation as soon as possible,” Ms Dobbyn said.

Iran state media said the tanker had collided with an Iranian vessel in the Persian Gulf, injuring several people and causing two crew members from the Iranian ship to go missing.

Iran said the tanker then tried to escape and navigated through the Strait of Hormuz, but the Iranian Navy intercepted it in the Gulf of Oman and impounded the vessel.

The Marshall Islands-flagged tanker was built in 2012 and is registered to a Chinese leasing company. It is operated by Turkish manager Geden Lines.

Iran has seized at least five commercial vessels sailing in the Middle East over the past two years, including two Greek tankers in May 2022 as retribution for the US seizure of a laden Iranian tanker in Greek waters. Iran ­released the two tankers last ­November.

In recent weeks, Iran-backed militias have carried out a series of attacks on US forces in Syria that killed one US contractor and injured a dozen other Americans. Iranian forces have also co-ordinated attacks on Israel with militant groups in the ­region, The Wall Street Journal has reported.

In response, the US military accelerated the delivery of a squadron of A-10 warplanes to the region and disclosed that it had moved a nuclear submarine into the Red Sea.

The Wall Street Journal