Oil tanker seized by Iran for over a year heads towards international waters

Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker Advantage Sweet, which, according to Refinitiv ship tracking data, is a Suezmax crude tanker which had been chartered by oil major Chevron and had last docked in Kuwait, sails through Bophorus Istanbul, Turkey, February 11, 2023.
Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker Advantage Sweet, which, according to Refinitiv ship tracking data, is a Suezmax crude tanker which had been chartered by oil major Chevron and had last docked in Kuwait, sails through Bophorus Istanbul, Turkey, February 11, 2023.

The Marshall Islands-flagged tanker Advantage Sweet held by Iran since April 2023 was tracked sailing toward international waters on Thursday according to data analyzed by the Associated Press.

In a report on Thursday, the AP said that the vessel was headed for Khor Fakkan in the United Arab Emirates, a common initial stop for ships released from Iranian detention.

The Advantage Sweet was seized by the Iranian navy last year as it traveled toward the Strait of Hormuz, while carrying $50 million worth of oil from Kuwait for Chevron Corp.

Chevron has maintained that the Advantage Sweet was "seized under false pretenses" and has since written off the cargo as a loss.

Iran has yet to acknowledge the vessel's departure.