Iranian court still seeks seizure of Chevron oil tanker off Gulf of Oman

An Iranian court continues to seek the seizure of a Chevron-operated oil tanker following accusations it hit an Iranian vessel and sailed away, Iran's state news agency IRNA reported July 6.

The Bahamas-flagged Richmond Voyager collided with an Iranian vessel and then changed course, entering Omani waters and sailing away in breach of international regulations, Iranian state media cited Iran's Ports and Shipping Organization saying.

An Iranian court issued a warrant to naval forces to seize the tanker after five of the crew on the Iranian vessel were injured and its owner has demanded the immediate seizure of the oil tanker, according to the reports. On the morning of July 5 the oil tanker was identified but ignored the navy's warnings and the warrant remains open, IRNA said.

The Richmond Voyager was carrying Saudi crude off the Omani coast in the Arabian Sea. Its last port was the UAE's Fujairah and it was bound for Tangshan, China, according to S&P Global Commodity Insights ship tracking software cFlow.

Chevron said July 5 it was aware of the situation in the Gulf of Oman involving the Richmond Voyager and that the vessel was operating normally. The company reiterated that message July 6.

The incident followed a string of tensions around merchant vessels in the area.

The US Navy said July 5 it had foiled an attempt by Iran to seize two oil tankers traversing the Gulf of Oman in the Persian Gulf, marking the fourth such incident in recent months by Tehran against vessels passing close to the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

Shots fired

Two ships were involved, the Marshall Islands-flagged TRF Moss and the Richmond Voyager, the US Navy later said in a statement describing the incident in detail.

At 01:00 local time, one Iranian naval vessel approached the TRF Moss, the US Navy said. The Iranian vessel departed the scene when US Navy guided-missile destroyer USS McFaul (DDG 74) arrived on station. Additionally, the US Navy deployed surveillance assets, including MQ-9 Reaper and P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft.

The UK Maritime Trade Operations had earlier reported shots fired at a vessel near Oman's capital of Muscat in the morning of July 5 but subsequently added that the incident had ended and the crew was safe. The incident took place 28 nautical miles northeast of Muscat in the Gulf of Oman, UKMTO said in a July 5 Twitter post.

The UKMTO downgraded the event from 'suspicious approach' to 'incident' on July 6, saying the vessel was proceeding to its next port of call.

The US is leading 10 other nations in stepping up patrols in the Middle East, specifically in and around the Strait of Hormuz.

The Strait of Hormuz is a critical chokepoint through which 30% of the world's seaborne oil transits. Previous tanker incidents in and around the Gulf have spooked oil and shipping markets, though crude prices have fallen in recent weeks over wider global economic concerns.

Platts, part of S&P Global, assessed Dated Brent at $76.86/b July. It has been largely rangebound since the start of May.