When govts clash, ship crews suffer

A FEW days ago came the welcome news that seven of the crew of the UK-flagged tanker Stena Impero had been released by the Iranian authorities. The ship had been held for several weeks after being seized it in the Strait of Hormuz. The Iranian government accused the ship of breaking unspecified regulations. However the move came shortly after the Iranian owned tanker Grace 1 had been seized by British forces and held at an anchorage off Gibraltar.

The Grace 1, now renamed the Adrian Darya, was released in mid-August and has recently again become the subject of controversy as it appears to be anchored close to a Syrian oil refinery. The suspicion that it was carrying oil to Syria was the reason Britain acted to seize it in the first place.

Iran denies any connection between the seizures of the two ships but, as this column was being written, there was some optimism that the rest of the crew and the ship could be released soon.