Iran Releases Oil Cargo of Seized Greek Tanker in Gulf of Oman

Iran has released the oil cargo from the Greek-owned tanker M/T St. Nikolas, which was seized in the Gulf of Oman earlier this year. The 1 million barrels of crude oil are now being sent to Turkey following a ship-to-ship transfer. However, the tanker remains in Iran's possession.

Iran has released the oil cargo from the Greek-owned, Marshall-Islands-flagged tanker M/T St. Nikolas, which it seized in the Gulf of Oman earlier this year, according to a shipping source.

The vessel, loaded with 1 million barrels of Iraqi crude oil destined for Turkey, is still detained by Iran. "The cargo was released earlier this week after negotiations," the source indicated.

Turkish refiner Tupras stated that the crude oil, bought from the Iraqi state oil company SOMO, had been recovered through a ship-to-ship transfer between July 23-25, 2024. The oil is expected to reach the refinery by September.

Claire Jungman from the U.S. advocacy group United Against Nuclear Iran confirmed the cargo transfer to the Turkey-flagged tanker T. Semahat near Iran's Larak Island. T. Semahat is operated by Ditas, primarily owned by Tupras.

The vessel was heading towards the port of Fujairah in the UAE and sailing away from Iran on Thursday, according to LSEG shipping data. Iranian state media reported that Iran had seized the St. Nikolas in January in retaliation for the U.S. confiscating the same vessel and its oil last year.

Iran's foreign and oil ministries were unavailable for immediate comment.

(With inputs from agencies.)