An oil tanker seized by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards last week was released on Wednesday, the company managing the ship said, confirming all its crew were safe.
“Columbia Shipmanagement can confirm that its managed product tanker TALARA was released at approximately 4:42 am local time (0112 GMT) on 19 November 2025 with its crew complement of 21 seafarers, all of whom are safe,” the group said in a statement to AFP.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards had said on Saturday they had seized the tanker a day earlier as it sailed from a port in the United Arab Emirates.
They said at the time that it was carrying “unauthorised cargo” towards Singapore.
But Columbia Shipmanagement said that “no allegations were made against the vessel, her crew and the vessel’s managers and owners”.
The vessel was now “free to resume normal operations”, the firm added.
On Friday, the Marshall Islands-flagged vessel was heading south through the Strait of Hormuz when it was approached by three small boats, and suddenly changed course, the maritime security firm Ambrey reported.
The Strait of Hormuz, a key chokepoint for global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments, has seen similar incidents in the past.
Last year, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards seized a container ship, saying it had links to Israel, following a deadly attack on Iran’s consulate in Syria blamed on Israel.
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© Agence France-Presse
