Greek crew member on seized tanker is returning home
The release was achieved through the combined efforts of Greek Foreign Affairs Minister George Gerapetritis, the Shipping and Island Policy Ministry, and the Greek Ambassador to Tehran (Stylianos Gavriil), then approved by the Iranian Foreign Affairs Ministry.
The Greek-owned and Marshall Island-flagged tanker was hijacked by five gunmen off the coast of Oman a week ago on Thursday and anchored the same day at Bandar Abbas, with its satellite-based communications disabled. The tanker had left from Basra (Iraq) loaded with rougly 145,000 of crude oil bound for Aliaga (Turkiye) via the Suez Canal when it was seized, with its 19 crew on board.
Tanker manager Empire Navigation said it was pleased to announce the release of the youngest crew member, a trainee, who was escorted by Gavriil onto a flight to Athens. In a statement Empire Navigation said it was focused on the release of the rest of the crew, adding that they were all in good health and able to communicate with their families. It also said it was in touch with the Philippines' ambassador to Iran, who will visit the ship following the completion of necessary local procedures. The government of the Philippines has been working for the release of the rest of the crew from the very start, Empire Navigation said.
According to Iranian media, the ship's cargo was confiscated following a court order by the Iranian Navy.
