Iran’s seizure of two oil tankers in the Gulf centres on a political crisis that will not be resolved easily or quickly, experts have warned.
The ships have been spotted anchored off the coast of Bandar Abbas near a naval base in Iran, satellite images indicate.
Their capture comes as tensions soar between Tehran and the West over the regime's nuclear programme.
The Marshall Islands-flagged Advantage Sweet, carrying Kuwaiti crude oil bound for US energy firm Chevron Corp, was seized on April 27 in the Gulf of Oman. Iran claimed the vessel had struck another ship, a claim unverified by tracking data. The Advantage Sweet's staff comprised 23 Indians and one Russian.
Another ship, the Panama-flagged Niovi, was seized by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) last Wednesday in the Strait of Hormuz. It had just left a dry dock in Dubai, bound for Fujairah on the UAE's eastern coast. While not carrying any cargo, data from S&P Global Market Intelligence showed the vessel had received oil from a ship known then as the Oman Pride in July 2020.
The US Treasury in August 2021 imposed sanctions on the Oman Pride and others associated with the vessel over its alleged involvement “in an international oil smuggling network” that supported the Quds Force, a unit of the IRGC that operates across the Middle East.
The Greek Coastguard has said the Niovi was staffed by Greek, Filipino and Sri Lankan sailors.
'Not just about oil'
John Steed, a British hostage negotiator, said such situations are “hugely complicated” and the seizures appeared to be part of a “political tit-for-tat” game between Tehran and the West.
“This is not just about oil, it’s very political,” Mr Steed told The National. “Those suffering are the sailors. Iran will not hurt the sailors but will hold the ship.
“What I am hearing is Iran is trying to exert pressure over a non-payment for oil that was exchanged between two ships,” he added.
“There will be complex discussions taking place at government level, not just at shipping industry level.
“Iran is desperate for legitimate ways to export its oil. Sanctions make it very difficult and life in Iran is pretty difficult for the people.”
Mr Steed said other shipping companies may review their policies to direct vessels away from the strategic Gulf of Oman — where the Advantage Sweet was intercepted — and the Arabian Gulf as a result of the incidents.
“It’s one of the most heavily patrolled areas in the world with large international naval contingents based in Bahrain, but when Iran does take a ship, it does so fast,” he said. “When a ship is approached by 12 Revolutionary Guard boats it makes it very difficult to [resist].”
Claire Jungman, chief of staff at the United Against a Nuclear Iran group in the US, agrees the seizure of the Niovi vessel “is related to a payment dispute for a shipment of Iranian oil”. She warned Iran “will likely hold that vessel until it receives payment”.
Ms Jungman told The National that other shipping firms might adopt a more cautious approach to the region.
“We have already seen Greece issue a series of warnings to ship owners to avoid sailing close to Iranian waters,” she said. “Similarly, the US Department of Transportation issued a warning for vessels to exercise increased caution when transiting the Persian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman.”
Chris Oliver, maritime director at the International Chamber of Shipping in London, told The National it was likely Tehran had impounded the vessels to “take a stand” in what is a political quagmire.
“This is probably a political situation and it’s possibly related to the sanctions,” he said. “I suspect the Iranians will say they have the right to do this under any law they have.
“It’s a very difficult and unfortunate situation in which actors are making a point about various political issues and ships are used as a pawn in this. We would deplore that ships are being used for political gain.
“From an optics perspective, why should these ships and seafarers be [targeted] when they are trying to do their jobs on an innocent passage? Iran is taking this action to take a stand.”
Photos from Planet Labs PBC showed the Advantage Sweet just south of Bandar Abbas near a naval base in Iran’s Hormozgan province last Saturday.
Arthur Wells, first officer at Merella Cruises, told The National that crew members on board the seized vessels must have been briefed on the dangers before being sent out on the mission in the Gulf.
Mr Wells, who previously worked in cargo shipping, said: “They would have been told about the risks. I would hope that they would have been given some sort of training to deal with such situations.”
The biog
Name: Abeer Al Bah
Born: 1972
Husband: Emirati lawyer Salem Bin Sahoo, since 1992
Children: Soud, born 1993, lawyer; Obaid, born 1994, deceased; four other boys and one girl, three months old
Education: BA in Elementary Education, worked for five years in a Dubai school
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies direct from Dubai to Rio de Janeiro from Dh7,000 return including taxes. Avianca fliles from Rio to Cusco via Lima from $399 (Dhxx) return including taxes.
The trip
From US$1,830 per deluxe cabin, twin share, for the one-night Spirit of the Water itinerary and US$4,630 per deluxe cabin for the Peruvian Highlands itinerary, inclusive of meals, and beverages. Surcharges apply for some excursions.
GOLF’S RAHMBO
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
CABINET%20OF%20CURIOSITIES%20EPISODE%201%3A%20LOT%2036
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EGuillermo%20del%20Toro%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Tim%20Blake%20Nelson%2C%20Sebastian%20Roche%2C%20Elpidia%20Carrillo%3Cbr%3ERating%3A%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESmartCrowd%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2018%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESiddiq%20Farid%20and%20Musfique%20Ahmed%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDubai%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFinTech%20%2F%20PropTech%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInitial%20investment%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%24650%2C000%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2035%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESeries%20A%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EVarious%20institutional%20investors%20and%20notable%20angel%20investors%20(500%20MENA%2C%20Shurooq%2C%20Mada%2C%20Seedstar%2C%20Tricap)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Miguel Cotto world titles:
WBO Light Welterweight champion - 2004-06
WBA Welterweight champion – 2006-08
WBO Welterweight champion – Feb 2009-Nov 2009
WBA Light Middleweight champion – 2010-12
WBC Middleweight champion – 2014-15
WBO Light Middleweight champion – Aug 2017-Dec 2017
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Alaan%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202021%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Parthi%20Duraisamy%20and%20Karun%20Kurien%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20FinTech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%247%20million%20raised%20in%20total%20%E2%80%94%20%242.5%20million%20in%20a%20seed%20round%20and%20%244.5%20million%20in%20a%20pre-series%20A%20round%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Seven tips from Emirates NBD
1. Never respond to e-mails, calls or messages asking for account, card or internet banking details
2. Never store a card PIN (personal identification number) in your mobile or in your wallet
3. Ensure online shopping websites are secure and verified before providing card details
4. Change passwords periodically as a precautionary measure
5. Never share authentication data such as passwords, card PINs and OTPs (one-time passwords) with third parties
6. Track bank notifications regarding transaction discrepancies
7. Report lost or stolen debit and credit cards immediately
How Beautiful this world is!
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Ain Dubai in numbers
126: The length in metres of the legs supporting the structure
1 football pitch: The length of each permanent spoke is longer than a professional soccer pitch
16 A380 Airbuses: The equivalent weight of the wheel rim.
9,000 tonnes: The amount of steel used to construct the project.
5 tonnes: The weight of each permanent spoke that is holding the wheel rim in place
192: The amount of cable wires used to create the wheel. They measure a distance of 2,4000km in total, the equivalent of the distance between Dubai and Cairo.
The biog
Name: Timothy Husband
Nationality: New Zealand
Education: Degree in zoology at The University of Sydney
Favourite book: Lemurs of Madagascar by Russell A Mittermeier
Favourite music: Billy Joel
Weekends and holidays: Talking about animals or visiting his farm in Australia
Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
Afghanistan fixtures
- v Australia, today
- v Sri Lanka, Tuesday
- v New Zealand, Saturday,
- v South Africa, June 15
- v England, June 18
- v India, June 22
- v Bangladesh, June 24
- v Pakistan, June 29
- v West Indies, July 4
Score
Third Test, Day 2
New Zealand 274
Pakistan 139-3 (61 ov)
Pakistan trail by 135 runs with 7 wickets remaining in the innings
