All 23 crew of seized British-operated tanker are safe

All 23 crew of seized British-operated tanker are safe
Angelo Bowers | July 22, 2019 http://sbdirtysouthsoccer.com/2019/07/22/all-23-crew-of-seized-british-o...

Iran's state-run IRNA news agency said on Friday that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), an elite military force of the Islamic Republic, seized the UK-flagged tanker Stena Impero in the Strait of Hormuz for "the violations of global maritime regulations".

Reports also claim that the captain of the vessel is also a Keralite, a native of Fort Kochi.

According to DFA Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs Sarah Lou Arriola, the manning agency said there were no reported injuries and the vessel was anchored off the port of Bandar Abbas with all its crew on board.

Jeremy Corbyn has blamed Donald Trump for escalating tensions in the Gulf as the Labour leader called for the release of the British-flagged oil tanker seized by Iranian forces yesterday.

"Media reports have indicated that the crew of the British tanker seized by Iran includes 4 Malayalis". Photo: Pool via WANA/Reuters TV via REUTERS.

Head of the Ports and Maritime Organization in Iran's southern Hormozgan Province, Allah-Morad Afifipoor, told Press TV that it's unclear how much time the probe will take, saying it would depend on the crew's cooperation and Tehran's ability to obtain the relevant documentation.

"He said the entire crew remained on the deck while an investigation continued into the ship".

The seizure occurred after the British navy seized Iran's Grace 1 tanker in Gibraltar on July 4 on suspicion of smuggling oil to Syria in breach of European Union sanctions. On Saturday Algeria's APS news agency said the Mesdar was owned by Algeria's state oil company Sonatrach.

"Ambassador to Iran Fred Santos is contacting Iranian authorities to seek assurance that the Filipino seafarer is safe and will be released soon", the DFA said in a statement, without naming the Filipino.

A helicopter hovers over British-flagged tanker Stena Impero near the strait of Hormuz on Friday. Filmed from a ship and a helicopter, it shows small craft sailing alongside the ship, troops in balaclavas inside a chopper, and six people descending down a rope onto the vessel.

The United States, France and Germany have condemned Iran's actions.