Persian Gulf: Brussels, Paris and London condemn seizure of two Greek tankers

The Commission, France and Britain condemn the seizure by Iran of two Greek tankers in the Persian Gulf.

Paris speaks of “a serious violation of international law that France unequivocally condemns.”

“We urge Iran to immediately release its crews and ships,” the French foreign ministry said in a statement.

“France reiterates its commitment to the rules of international law that protects the freedom of navigation and safety at sea. We urge Iran to immediately stop its actions against them,” the statement said.

The Commission also condemned Tehran’s move earlier today, while expressing its concern. On Saturday, the action of the Revolutionary Guards was condemned by London.

The two tankers set sail for Bandar Abbas

It is noted that the two tankers under the Greek flag, which came under the control of the Revolutionary Guards of Iran, were ordered to sail to Bandar Abbas on Sunday. Bandar Abbas is a port city and capital of Hormozgan Province on the south coast of Iran, in the Persian Gulf. The city is strategically located in the Straits of Hormuz and is the main base of the Iranian Navy.

The two ships are still carrying Iranian oil and as it became known, both the Prudent Warrior 150,000 dwt (built in 2017) and the Delta Poseidon 157,400 dwt (built in 2011) are travelling on their own means and are managed by their own crew.

All the sailors are in good health and are being treated well by the Revolutionary Guards of Iran, who used helicopters to board the two boats as they sailed in international waters off the coast of Iran on Friday, Tradewinds reported.

“We are in regular contact with the captain,” a director of Polembros Shipping, owner of Prudent Warrior, told TradeWinds.

No justification

Twenty-three sailors aboard the Prudent Warrior – 15 Filipinos, seven Greeks and a Cypriot citizen.

The Delta Poseidon controlled by Delta Tankers has 21 Filipinos and two Greek sailors.

According to representatives of the two Greek companies quoted by Tradewinds, the Iranian authorities have not given any official justification for the interception of the ships on Friday, except that they are conducting a regular inspection to check the documents of the ships and their condition.

They behaved very kindly during the inspection, they did not find anything, the Polembros representative told Tradewinds.