Court Order Used to Seize Chevron Tanker, Iran Claims

In a recent development, Iran has claimed to possess a court order giving it the authority to seize the Chevron tanker that was approached by its naval forces in the early hours of Wednesday morning. The Maritime Search and Rescue Center of Iran’s Hormozgan Province, in a statement to the country’s state-run news agency, confirmed that the Iranian navy had received an order to seize the Richmond Voyager oil tanker, which is flagged under the Bahamas, according to a report by Reuters. This incident occurred while the tanker was sailing in international waters near Muscat, Oman, on its way to the Arabian Sea. In response to a distress call from the tanker, the US Navy Fifth Fleet reported that an Iranian vessel came dangerously close to the Richmond Voyager, commanding it to halt and even firing at it. Fortunately, the arrival of the American guided-missile destroyer USS McFaul deterred the Iranian vessel and ensured the safety of the tanker. It is worth noting that an earlier incident involving an Iranian vessel approaching an oil tanker flagged under the Marshall Islands was also dealt with by the USS McFaul.

According to Iran, the Richmond Voyager was involved in a collision with an Iranian vessel and failed to stop after the incident, prompting the owner of the latter ship to request its seizure. Iran also claimed that the collision resulted in injuries to five people. On the other hand, Chevron has assured that its crew members are safe and the vessel is functioning normally, as per Reuters. The US Navy reported that no injuries were sustained by anyone on board the Richmond Voyager during the incident, although bullets did make contact with the ship’s hull near the living quarters. This recent episode adds to a series of incidents involving Iran’s seizure or attack of approximately 20 internationally flagged merchant vessels since 2021. It should be recalled that Iran successfully seized two oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz earlier this year.