Seizure of the oil tanker Suez Rajan

In April 2023, the Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker Suez Rajan was seized by US authorities.

Seizure of the oil tanker Suez Rajan
Location
70 miles (110 km) from Galveston, Texas
DateApril 2023
Executed byUnited States Coast Guard

Incident

The Marshall Islands-flagged Suez Rajan, carrying Iranian-grade crude oil,[1] was seized in April 2023 by the US Department of Justice.[2] The Suez Rajan was carrying about 800,000 barrels of oil, a cargo worth about $56 million.[3]

On 29 May 2023, the Suez Rajan arrived offshore of Galveston and remained at anchor some 70 miles (110 km) from the Texas port. The vessel had a Greece-based manager.[4] The US companies that managed unloading tankers were too worried about Iranian reprisal to handle the captured oil on the Suez Rajan.[5][6][7]The shipping companies fear any vessel unloading it would lead other oil buyers to shun their ships on future voyages.[8]

Aftermath

Alireza Tangsiri, The Guards' navy commander, emphasised Tehran would hold Washington responsible for allowing the unloading of the tanker's content.[9]He said Iran would retaliate against any oil company unloading Iranian oil from a seized tanker.[10]

On 29 April 2023 the Iran Navy seized a Marshall Islands flagged suezmax tanker, the Advantage Sweet, laden with oil from Kuwait and bound for Houston, off Muscat. It appeared that the vessel managers were Turkish and the owner was Chinese.[11] This seizure is in response to the U.S. seizing the Iran-origin cargo on the Suez Rajan off southeast Malaysia earlier in the month, which is now sailing to the U.S..[12][13]

See also

References
  1. "Sanctions stigma proves troubling for shipowners lightering Iranian crude off USGC". spglobal.com. 16 Jun 2023.
  2. "US failing to sell seized Iranian oil sitting in Gulf of Mexico - report". The Jerusalem Post. 19 July 2023.
  3. Palma, Stefania; Cook, Chris; Schwartz, Felicia (11 June 2023). "US expected to begin unloading oil from seized Iranian tanker". Financial Times.
  4. "Why did Iran seize a US-bound oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman?". Al Jazeera. 29 Apr 2023.
  5. "Iranian Oil Is Stuck Off Coast of Texas, but U.S. Firms Won't Touch It". The Wall Street Journal. 18 July 2023.
  6. "US Won't Touch Seized Iranian Oil Amid Companies' Fear Of Reprisals". Iran International. 18 July 2023.
  7. "Iranian oil remains stuck off US coast as shippers fear repercussions". Reuters. 25 July 2023.
  8. "Lawmakers urge Biden to resolve offloading delay of seized Iran oil tanker". Reuters. 16 August 2023.
  9. "Iran warns against unloading Iranian oil from seized tanker". Reuters. 20 July 2023.
  10. "Lawmakers urge Biden to resolve offloading delay of seized Iran oil tanker". Reuters. 16 August 2023.
  11. "Iran Navy Seizes Marshall Islands Oil Tanker in Gulf of Oman". VOA News. Associated Press. 27 April 2023.
  12. "US seizure of Iran cargo on Greek tanker behind Advantage Sweet hijack". Lloyd’s List Intelligence. 28 April 2023. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
  13. Eric Priante Martin (25 May 2023). "Seized tanker watch: Suez Rajan appears headed to Gulf Coast with suspected Iranian cargo". TradeWinds. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
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