Iran Releases Crude Oil Cargo from Seized Tanker St. Nikolas

Iran has released the crude oil cargo of the St. Nikolas, a 159,000 dwt oil tanker that was seized in the Gulf of Oman. The vessel, which was en route to Turkey with one million barrels of Iraqi crude oil, was detained by Iranian authorities.

The seizure is believed to have been in retaliation against the vessel's manager, Empire Navigation, Greece. In 2023, Empire Navigation assisted US authorities in seizing an Iranian oil cargo aboard the same vessel, then named Suez Rajan.

A US court had ordered the seizure of the Iranian cargo from the Suez Rajan, which was subsequently offloaded at the Texas coast in August 2023. After being renamed St. Nikolas, the tanker returned to the Middle East and was seized along with its cargo by Iran on January 11, 2024.

The crude oil cargo has since been transferred via ship-to-ship transfer from the St. Nikolas to T.Semahat, a Turkey-flagged oil tanker, near Iran’s Larak Island between July 23-25. However, the St. Nikolas remains detained by Iranian authorities.

Tüpraş, a Turkish refinery company, stated that it had purchased the crude oil from SOMO, an Iraqi state oil company. The refinery expects the crude oil to arrive in September.

T.Semahat, owned and managed by Turkish company Ditas Deniz Isletmeciligi Ve Tankerciligi AS, which is majority-owned by Tüpraş, was reported to be at Khor Fakkan Anchorage, UAE, on July 26, according to Marine Traffic data.