Switzerland-based ship manager Proman Shipping and Swedish tanker shipping company Stena Bulk announced a joint venture, collaborating to co-own two new vessels and promote methanol as a marine fuel.
Following over two months of detention in Iranian waters, the British tanker Stena Impero was freed and safely docked in Dubai on Saturday. The ship had been at the Bandar Abbas port since 19 July, when it was detained by Iranian forces amid increasing tensions between Iran and the UK.
Despite previous announcements on Iran freeing Stena Impero, Stena Bulk reported that the vessel remains detained at anchor in Bandar Abbas. The company noted that they will continue their efforts in freeing the vessel and its crew.
The detained British-flagged tanker Stena Impero is ‘free to leave’, said Iran’s ambassador to the UK, Hamid Baeidinejad in a statement through its twitter account Monday, just over two months after Iranian forces seized the ship in the Strait of Hormuz, for alleged marine violations.
The International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) welcomed the Iranian authorities release of seven crew members from the detained British-flagged tanker Stena Impero, but urged for a transparent solution to this matter for the release of the other 16 seafarers who remain onboard, away from their families.
The British-flagged oil tanker Stena Impero, which has been seized by Iran for almost two months, could be released after the imminent completion of legal proceedings against the tanker, Iranian state television reported on Sunday.
Seven crew members from the Stena Impero tanker have been released and are now travelling to a safe location where they will be reunited with their families, almost seven weeks after the ship was detained by Iranian forces, the owner Stena Bulk informed in a latest update.
According to Stena Bulk, Iran will release seven of the 23 crew members of the Stena Impero that are held. However, the company has not yet received official confirmation of the release date. The rest of the crew will remain on board in order to safely operate the vessel.
As Stena Impero is still under Iranian detention for the 34th day, Stena Bulk’s president and CEO, Erik Hanell discussed in Stockholm on August 21, with the Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif. During the talks, Mr. Hanell gave emphasis on the importance of the release of the 23 crew members.
19 days after the seizure of the British-flagged tanker ‘Stena Impero’ by Iranian authorities at the Strait of Hormuz, the vessel still remains detained along with its 23 crew members, which is “unacceptable and unjustifiable”, said the owner Tuesday.
