ATHENS: Iran has released two Greek tankers seized in May in retaliation after an Iranian crude oil cargo was held in Greece, the Greek merchant marine ministry said Wednesday.
“After months-long talks with Iran, the Greek-flagged ships Prudent Warrior and Delta Poseidon seized since May 27 left today,” the ministry said in a statement.
Greece’s deputy merchant marine minister was in Tehran Wednesday to broker the agreement, the ministry said.
Most of the 50 sailors on board the two vessels had already been replaced weeks earlier.
The Prudent Warrior’s managers, Polembros Shipping, on Monday said seven of the original crew members seized in May were still on board the tanker before the deal was announced. “We have been innocent victims caught in the midst of political confrontations,” the company said.
Row Began After Tanker Carrying Iranian Crude Seized in April
The row began after a Russian-flagged tanker carrying Iranian crude was seized in April near Athens. The more than 115,000-tonne Pegas was originally headed to Marmara terminal in Turkey, according to the Marine Traffic website.
Greek media at the time reported that the Russian tanker had faced engine trouble and was being escorted by a tugboat towards the Peloponnese, but was forced to moor near the island of Evia owing to poor weather.
Greece said at the time it was enforcing EU sanctions imposed on Russia following its invasion of Ukraine in February.
Though the ship was soon renamed from Pegas to Lana and changed hands, and Greek authorities said it would be released, the United States Department of Justice demanded that its Iranian crude cargo be seized.
“International Robbery”
Tehran strongly protested the decision, calling it “international robbery”. Greece in turn called the move to seize the two Greek tankers “piracy”. When Athens said it would deliver the oil to Washington, Iranian helicopters landed commandos on the two tankers, which were taken to the port of Bandar Abbas.
One of them, the Delta Poseidon, was sailing in international waters at the time, the Greek foreign ministry said in May.
In June, a Greek court ordered that the Iranian oil that had begun to be removed from the tanker should be returned. But in a separate ruling, a “temporary departure ban” was placed on the Lana at the request of a Greek tugboat company demanding payment from the vessel’s owner for its services.
On Wednesday, the Marine Traffic website showed the Lana had left the Greek port of Piraeus and was en route to Istanbul. APP/AFP
