Seven released crew members of the oil tanker, seized by Iran in July, are on their way to their families. Erik Hånell, head of Swedish shipping company Stena Bulk, said his people are now heading to a "safe" place in Dubai. There they would be medically examined and questioned before they returned to their home countries. He did not want to say what nationality the freedmen have.
The ship, the "Stena Impero", sailed under the British flag when it was declared by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards in the Strait of Hormuz. It should have infringed maritime regulations, which denies the shipping company. The crew members are from India, Latvia, the Philippines and Russia.
Those had authorities in Gibraltar and the British Royal Navy had stopped the Iranian supertanker "Grace 1" on suspicion of illegal oil shipments for Syria. The ship's name was later changed to "Adrian Darya-1".
The tanker was released last month, so observers also think a release of the British ship is conceivable. Tehran is probably waiting for a safe return of his supertanker to Iran, then release the British ship.
For months, a dispute has been smoldering between Iran and several western states, above all the US, which is being fought on international shipping lanes. The administration of US President Donald Trump had classified the Revolutionary Guards as a foreign terrorist organization in April. The US has also imposed harsh sanctions on Iran, targeting mainly the country's oil sector.
Captain has selected crew members for release
16 sailors are still on the "Stena Impero". "We continue to work tirelessly to release the remaining crew aboard the Stena Impero," Hånell said. Last month, Hånell spoke with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Jawad Sarif when he visited Stockholm. Finally, relatives had expressed extreme concern about the fate of the crew members.
Already yesterday it became known that seven of the crew members are released. According to Iranian statements, they were selected by the captain of the tanker.
