DUBAI: The
British-flagged oil tanker Stena Impero arrived in Dubai yesterday, after being
detained with its crew in Iran for more than two months in an incident that
inflamed tensions in the region. Iran's Revolutionary Guards seized the vessel
in the Strait of Hormuz on July 19 after surrounding it with attack boats and
rappelling onto its deck. It was then impounded off the Iranian port of Bandar
Abbas for allegedly failing to respond to distress calls and turning off its
transponder after hitting a fishing boat.

But the seizure
was widely seen as a tit-for-tat move after authorities in the British overseas
territory of Gibraltar detained an Iranian tanker on suspicion it was shipping
oil to Syria in breach of EU sanctions. Tehran repeatedly denied the cases were
related. British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said however that the tanker
was "unlawfully seized by Iran" as part of attempts to "disrupt
freedom of navigation".

On Friday, the
Stena Impero was finally cleared to sail from Iran and into international
waters of the Gulf. "Despite the vessel's clearance, its legal case is
still open in Iran's courts," Hormozgan province's maritime organization
in southern Iran said on its website. The tanker's captain and crew have
"given a written, official statement that they have no claims", it
added.

The ship docked
at Port Rashid in Dubai yesterday after halting off the coast of the emirate
overnight, according to data from ship tracking website MarineTraffic.com. Pool
reporters at the commercial port confirmed the ship had moored and the
Swedish-owned vessel was seen surrounded by several small boats, including at
least one flying the United Arab Emirates flag.      

The CEO of Stena
Bulk, the firm that owns the vessel, had said the ship's sailing was
"obviously a relief" and that the priority was those on board. Seven
of its 23 crew members were released on Sept 4. "When we reach Dubai we
will firstly take care of the crew and then try and get the ship in operational
order again," Erik Hanell told AFP on Friday. The tanker's crew are
"safe and in high spirits" and arrangements had been made for them to
return to their families upon arrival in Dubai, he said.

"The crew
will have a period of time to be with their families following 10 weeks of
detainment on the vessel. Full support will be offered to the crew and families
in the coming weeks to assist with their recovery." Photos released by the
Iranian agency Fars News yesterday showed the black and red-hulled tanker
sailing from Bandar Abbas in southern Iran the previous day. The images also
showed the captain apparently signing the ship's release documents before it
left port, and the crew - dressed in red overalls and safety gear - lifting
anchor ahead of the journey.

Tensions have
risen in the Gulf since May last year when US President Donald Trump
unilaterally abandoned a 2015 nuclear deal between major powers and Iran and
began reimposing crippling sanctions in a campaign of "maximum
pressure". They flared again this May when Iran began reducing its own
commitments under the deal and the US deployed military assets to the
region.  Since then, ships have been
attacked, drones downed and oil tankers seized.

In June, Trump
called off air strikes against Iran at the last minute after the Islamic
republic's forces shot down a US drone. This month, twin attacks on Saudi oil
infrastructure, which knocked out half the kingdom's production, drew
accusations of blame against Iran not only from the US but also from its
European allies. Tehran has denied any involvement in the attacks, which were
claimed by Iran-backed rebels fighting a Saudi-led coalition in Yemen.

The US has since
formed a coalition with its allies Australia, Bahrain, Britain, Saudi Arabia
and the UAE to escort commercial shipping in the Gulf. Tehran has warned that
the planned US-led International Maritime Security Construct will cause more,
not less instability. It has proposed a rival security plan of its own.
Speaking at the UN General Assembly in New York, President Hassan Rouhani this
week announced a plan dubbed the "Hormuz Peace Endeavour" or
"HOPE". He gave no details but called on all of Iran's Gulf neighbors
to join, saying: "Security cannot be provided with American weapons and
intervention." - AFP