Chevron-chartered oil tanker seized by Iran more than a year ago has dropped anchor near the United Arab Emirates port of Khor Fakkan, ship tracking data showed on Monday.
Advantage Sweet
The Marshall Islands-flagged Advantage Sweet was boarded by Iran’s military in the Gulf of Oman in April 2023 after an alleged collision with an Iranian boat.
After sailing away from Iran last week, its latest position was located close to the UAE, LSEG data showed on Monday.
The safe release
“We are pleased to see the safe release of the vessel and crew,” the Chevron spokesperson said in an emailed comment, without providing further details.
Photos and data reveal the paths of Iran’s “shadow fleet”
False pretenses
In another a report the AP said that the vessel was headed for Khor Fakkan in the United Arab Emirates, a common initial stop for ships released from Iranian detention.
The Advantage Sweet was seized by the Iranian navy last year as it traveled toward the Strait of Hormuz, while carrying $50 million worth of oil from Kuwait for Chevron Corp.
False pretenses
Chevron has maintained that the Advantage Sweet was “seized under false pretenses” and has since written off the cargo as a loss.Iran has yet to acknowledge the vessel’s departure.
It is noteworthy the 2012-built, 159,058 dwt suezmax is registered to a Chinese leasing company — the Shanghai-based Puyin Financial Leasing Company Limited. However, the tanker is managed by the Turkish company Geden Lines and operated by Advantage Tankers.
(Reuters – Reporting by Jonathan Saul and Arpan Varghese; Editing by Susan Fenton)
