Iran will free seven crew members of the detained British-flagged tanker Stena Impero, according to Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi. He told Iranian state television on Wednesday that the seven, who include Indian citizens, were allowed to leave the tanker on humanitarian grounds and could leave Iran soon.
“We have no problem with the crew and the captain and the issue is violations that the vessel committed,” Mousavi said. The vessel’s Swedish owner Stena Bulk said it had yet to receive any official confirmation of the release date, Reuters reported.
The Stena Impero was detained by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards on July 19 in the Strait of Hormuz waterway for alleged marine violations. The development came two weeks after Britain detained an Iranian tanker off the territory of Gibraltar. That vessel was released in August.
The Stena Impero’s 23 seafarers are of Indian, Russian, Latvian and Philippines nationality.