Iran releases tanker seized in the Strait of Hormuz, ship’s manager confirms

Iran has released a Marshall Islands-based fuel tanker, the Talara, after holding the ship for five days, the vessel’s manager announced Wednesday.

Columbia Shipmanagement, which manages the Talara, stated the ship returned with all 21 crew members “safe and in good spirits.” The company confirmed the vessel would soon resume its normal operations. 

Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guard Corps seized the Talara in the Strait of Hormuz on Friday, asserting that the ship was illegally carrying unauthorized cargo. The ship was traveling from the United Arab Emirates to Singapore with a cargo of high-sulphur gasoline when it was diverted to the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas.

Despite initial allegations, Columbia Shipmanagement confirmed that Tehran had not lobbied any specific charges against the Talara or its management company.

Iran has been known to levy dubious claims of smuggling and illegal cargo on vessels traveling through the Strait of Hormuz, where at least 20% of the world’s oil and gas shipments travel through. Iran has used the incidents to project power and assert that they have the capacity to patrol and defend its waters.

However, the seizures have gone down significantly since Iran’s 12-day war with Israel in June. The Talara incident is the first such seizure since the war.