Iranian Navy seizes oil tanker en route from Kuwait to US

AP reported that the US Navy's 5th Fleet in the Middle East identified the vessel as the Advantage Sweet. The ship's satellite tracking data from MarineTraffic.com showed that it was in the Gulf of Oman, north of Oman's capital Muscat. It had recently departed Kuwait and was bound for Houston, USA.

The Advantage Sweet sent a distress call at 1:15 pm while in international waters when Iran seized the vessel, the US Navy said.

“Iran’s actions are contrary to international law and disruptive to regional security and stability,” the 5th Fleet said in a statement. “Iran should immediately release the oil tanker.”

Iran's state-run IRNA news agency reported that the arrest came after an unknown vessel collided with an Iranian vessel last night in the Persian Gulf, leaving several Iranian crew members missing and injured. The other vessel involved in the alleged collision was not identified.

The 5th Fleet said that it was at least the fifth commercial vessel seized by Tehran in the last two years.

The tanker's manager, a Turkish firm, did not respond to requests for comment. Its listed owner was a Chinese company.

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