Iran Seizes Smuggled Oil Tanker, Detains 18 Crew Including Bangladeshis

Darwin, 13 December:

Iran’s coast guard has seized a tanker carrying a large quantity of smuggled diesel fuel in the Gulf of Oman and detained all 18 crew members on board, including nationals of Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka.

According to Iran’s state-run news agency Fars News, the tanker was intercepted off the coast of Hormozgan province in southern Iran. Quoting a provincial official, the report said the vessel was carrying around six million litres of diesel and was drifting at sea after its navigation system reportedly failed.

“All 18 crew members were detained,” the official said, adding that the crew included Indian, Bangladeshi and Sri Lankan nationals. The nationality of the tanker, however, was not disclosed.

Iran has some of the lowest fuel prices in the world due to heavy government subsidies. This has led to the emergence of domestic and international smuggling networks that purchase fuel cheaply in Iran and illegally traffic it to other countries for sale.

Last month, Iranian coast guard forces also seized a similar tanker in the Persian Gulf on suspicion of fuel smuggling.

The latest seizure comes just days after the United States Navy confiscated an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela last Wednesday. US officials said that vessel was allegedly used to transport oil between Iran and Venezuela.

Iran’s action followed the US seizure by three days. It is notable that the United States Treasury Department imposed sanctions on Venezuela in 2022, citing the close ties between Iran’s Islamist government, its defense forces, and the Venezuelan authorities.

Source: AFP