SOHAR,Oman:Masked armed individuals reportedly boarded the St Nikolas vessel near the Omani port of Sohar, directing it towards an Iranian port. Iranian state media, citing the navy, claimed this seizure was a retaliation for the confiscation of the ship and its oil cargo by the US last year.
The St Nikolas was en route from the Iraqi port of Basra to Turkey. UK Maritime Trade Operations reported on Thursday that four to five unauthorized individuals, dressed in military-style black uniforms and masks, had boarded the ship at early hours of the morning. Communication with the vessel has since been lost, prompting an investigation.
Despite being Greek-owned, Iranian state media quoted the army identifying the vessel as American. Empire Navigation, the managing company, reported that the ship was carrying 145,000 tonnes of crude oil and a crew of 18 Filipinos and one Greek citizen.
Previously known as the Suez Rajan, the St Nikolas was seized by the US in April as part of sanctions enforcement against Iran. Suez Rajan Limited, the former charterer of the ship, later admitted to conspiring to violate sanctions by secretly selling and transporting oil overseas on behalf of Iran.
This recent incident seems unrelated to the attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels in the Red Sea, on the other side of the Arabian Peninsula.
