Stena Impero tanker leaves Bandar Abbas Port
Stena Impero tanker, detained by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards in July, has started moving and exited the Bandar Abbas port on Friday.
According to al-Arabiya, the Stena has set a new destination for Port Rashid in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, about 250 km away, the tracking data showed. At normal tanker speed, it would reach within half a day.
"a lifting of the detention order had been finalized, but that an investigation into the vessel was ongoing," Iran’s foreign ministry had said on Wednesday.
"it was not in negotiations with Iran and was not aware of any formal charges against the crew or the company," the ship’s owner, Stena Bulk of Sweden, later said.
Iran had earlier freed seven of the ship’s 23 crew members.
It is noteworthy, Iran’s seizure of the Stena Impero on July 19 had ratcheted up tensions in the region following attacks in May and June on other merchant vessels in Gulf waters which Washington blamed on Tehran. Iran has denied responsibility.
A.H
ANHA
