The Iranian military on Friday seized an oil tanker identified as “Ocean Koi” during a special operation, saying that the tanker was “disrupting the country’s oil exports” and “damaging the national interests.” According to Iran’s state-run agency, IRNA, the Iranian naval commandoes interceded the tanker for allegedly carrying Iranian oil and “exploiting” the regional conditions set for the export.
As per the MarineTraffic data, the Barbados-flagged tanker has been sanctioned by the US since February, and made a sail as the Iranian and the US forces clashed in the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian naval forces escorted the tanker to the country’s southern shores before handing it over to judicial authorities, IRNA said, citing Iran’s Army.
The Iranian Army added that it would continue defending Iran’s interests and assets in regional waters and that there would be “no leniency” shown toward violators.
“In a special operation, the naval commandos of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Army seized the violating tanker Ocean Koi, which was seeking to cause disruption to Iran’s oil exports and the interests of the Iranian nation,” Fars, IRNA, and Tasnim news agencies quoted Iran’s Army as saying.
The Iranian state media reported that the tanker was handed over to judicial authorities. According to the maritime intelligence firm, Tankerrackers, at least three empty National Iranian Tanker Company cargo vessels have also managed to cross the US Naval blockage line through Pakistan’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
The open-sourced monitoring indicated that Iran’s IRGC forces used speedboats in a special boarding operation. The soldiers in military fatigues were seen armed with AK-103/KL-103 assault rifles. The Iranian Navy said it “will resolutely defend the interests and assets of the Iranian nation in the country’s regional waters and will not tolerate any violator or aggressor.”
Tankers Violate Blockade Via Pakistan’s EEZ?
According to the TankerTrackers data, at least three empty crude tankers belonging to the National Iranian Tanker Company also crossed through the US Navy blockade line over the past two days. The vessels used Pakistan’s EEZ as a transit corridor to sail back to Iran. They were reportedly carrying a crude capacity of 5 million barrels.
The location of the two tankers was captured on satellite imagery, and their identities were shared with TankerTrackers. A vessel, the Hasna, appeared on the Automatic Identification System (AIS) data off the coast of Shinas, Oman, approximately 254 nautical miles (470 kilometres) west of the blockade line, TankerTracker stated.
Meanwhile, Iranian forces also intercepted a Pakistani-bound ship trying to cross the Strait of Hormuz. The vessel, identified as Selena, was sailing from the UAE’s Sharjah toward Karachi when it was stopped by the IRGC forces. Due to a lack of authorisation to pass through the critical maritime artery, the tanker was forced to make a U-turn. In a post on X, IRGC Navy commander Alireza Tangsiri said, “The container ship SELEN was turned back by the IRGC Navy due to failure to comply with legal protocols and lack of permission to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.” He added, “The passage of any vessel through this waterway requires full coordination with Iran’s maritime authority, and this achievement would not have been possible without the backing of the noble people of Iran.”
