DUBAI: A US-bound oil tanker seized by Iran off the coast of Oman was carrying 24 Indian crew, the vessel’s operator said on Friday, adding it was working to secure their release.

Previous incidents show that crew caught up in similar incidents are in “no danger”, Advantage Tankers said, after the tanker was seized on Thursday.

The Marshall Islands-flagged Advantage Sweet was being taken by Iran’s navy to an unnamed port because of an “international dispute”, the operator said in a statement.

“Advantage Sweet is currently being escorted by the Iranian Navy to a port on the basis of an international dispute,” Advantage Tankers said in the statement.

“Similar experiences show that crew members of vessels taken under such circumstances are in no danger,” it said, adding that the company was “in close touch with all the appropriate authorities to obtain the release of the crew and vessel”.

Iran said it had crashed into one of its vessels, leaving two Iranian crew members missing and injuring several others.

The Islamic republic has yet to issue any details on the status or nationality of any other crew involved.

The US Navy demanded the ship’s immediate release, slamming Iran’s “continued harassment” in Gulf waters.

Published in Dawn, April 29th, 2023