A Chevron-chartered oil tanker, the Advantage Sweet, which had been seized by Iran in April 2023, is heading towards international waters, according to LSEG ship tracking data, Reuters reports.
On April 27, 2023, the Marshall Islands-flagged crude oil tanker, Advantage Sweet, was forcibly seized by the Iranian Navy while transiting international waters in the Gulf of Oman. The seizure occurred following an alleged collision with an Iranian boat, prompting Iran’s military to board the tanker.
The U.S. State Department has welcomed the vessel’s release, condemning the seizure as unlawful and reiterating its previous calls for the tanker’s immediate release.
According to Reuters, the movement of the Advantage Sweet coincides with the conclusion of a related court case in Iran. Earlier this year, an Iranian court ruled in favor of patients who sued the U.S. government over sanctions allegedly preventing Iran from importing medicine for a rare skin disease. Following this ruling, Iranian authorities announced plans to unload $50 million worth of crude from the tanker.
On Thursday, the court ordered the U.S. government and officials to pay $6.8 billion in compensation for the sanctions’ impact. There has been no immediate comment from Chevron or Iranian officials regarding the tanker’s release, Reuters informs.
