Turkish Petroleum Refineries Corporation (TUPRAS) confirmed Thursday that the tanker seized in the Sea of Oman was carrying oil to Türkiye.
TUPRAS said in a statement that the Marshall Islands-flagged ship, named “St Nikolas,” is “carrying approximately 140,000 tons of crude oil which we purchased from the Iraqi state oil company SOMO and is on its way from Basra Port to be delivered to our refinery.”
“There is no Turkish crew on the ship, and the issue is being followed up in cooperation with national and international authorities,” the Turkish firm said.
All refinery operations are continuing as planned and the incident has no impact on the refinery operations, it added.
Earlier on Thursday, the British Marine Trade Operations said the communication with their tanker was cut off after 4-5 masked people boarded near the Gulf of Oman.
The ship’s owner, the Greek shipowner Empire Navigation, stated that the tanker, which was loaded with oil in Iraq’s Basra port, was heading to Türkiye via the Suez Canal. The company announced that the ship was rented by TUPRAS.
Iran’s navy reported Thursday the seizure of an American oil tanker in the Sea of Oman, citing retaliation for the U.S. “stealing” of Iran’s oil in April 2023, according to a statement published on the Iranian army’s public relations website.
The statement said the navy took control of the “St Nikolas” tanker on Thursday morning following a judicial order and confirmation from Iran’s Ports and Maritime Organization.
The vessel, previously named “Suez Rajan,” had “stolen” an Iranian oil cargo under U.S. guidance last year, the statement said, adding that the Iranian oil was then transferred to U.S. ports and handed over to the United States.
The U.S. Justice Department admitted last September that it seized a tanker loaded with Iranian oil in April 2023, identifying it as “Suez Rajan,” a Greek-managed tanker that carried 980,000 barrels of crude oil. ■
