The status of the crew of the tanker Talara was the first and biggest question following the ship’s sudden seizure by Iranian forces.
According to Columbia Shipmanagement, the management company of the Talara tanker seized by Iran, all 21 crew members are safe and in good health.
“All crew members are reported to be safe. The vessel is now safely anchored off the coast of Bandar Abbas,” the company stated in an announcement. “Columbia Shipmanagement is cooperating with regional partners for the urgent resolution of the situation and to secure the release of our crew.”
The Talara was seized on Friday by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) while it was sailing off the coast of the UAE, in the Gulf of Oman. According to the US Central Command, Iranian forces reached and boarded the vessel by helicopter.
After boarding, the IRGC men took control of the ship and changed course, heading east towards Iranian waters. From there, the ship was directed to an anchorage just south of Bandar Abbas, a common destination for foreign-flagged vessels seized by Iran.
The IRGC took responsibility for the ship’s capture and claimed it was carrying 30,000 tons of oil products being transported “illegally” to Singapore. The ship was diverted to the anchorage “for investigation of the violations,” according to the IRGC’s claims.
“Iran’s use of military forces to armedly board and seize a commercial vessel in international waters constitutes a blatant violation of international law, undermining the freedom of navigation and the free flow of commerce,” the US Central Command stated in an announcement. “We call on Iran to explain to the international community the legal basis for its actions.”
The Talara is a 73,000 dwt crude oil tanker, built in 2010, flying the flag of the Marshall Islands and managed by a company based in Cyprus. Iran’s seizures of foreign-flagged vessels usually coincide with its geopolitical concerns and, beyond the legal rationale, are often perceived as a means of exerting pressure or sending a message to Tehran’s rivals.
What matters most now is ensuring the welfare and safety of the crew, who are the least at fault and who, once again, are being treated as “nothing.” Let us hope either that the ship is released immediately, or that the crew is repatriated.
