Iran Envoy, S. Korea Official Discuss Seizure of Tanker in Persian Gulf
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – A Korean foreign ministry official met with Iranian top envoy in Seoul on Tuesday to discuss yesterday’s seizure of a South Korean oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz over technical issues.
Koh Kyung-sok, director-general of the ministry's African and Middle Eastern affairs, lodge a protest to Iranian Ambassador Saeed Badamchi Shabestari and called for the release of a South Korean-flagged ship that was seized by the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Navy in the Persian Gulf on Monday over environmental and chemical pollution concerns.
Ahead of the meeting, the Iranian ambassador said the sailors of the vessel remain safe.
"All of them are safe. Nothing to worry about (in regards to their health)," he said, when approached by reporters.
The South Korean-flagged MT Hankuk Chemi was seized Monday by IRGC Navy due to concerns of chemical pollution in waters of Strait of Hormuz.
The IRGC Navy’s Public Relations department said in a statement yesterday that the South Korean-flagged oil tanker, had departed from Saudi Arabia’s Al Jubail port.
The tanker, carrying 7,200 tons of oil chemical materials has been captured by the IRGC Navy’s Zolfaqar flotilla because of “repeated violation of environmental regulations”, the statement said, adding that the crew are from South Korea, Indonesia, Vietnam and Myanmar.
The oil tanker has berthed at Iran’s southern port city of Bandar Abbas for legal procedures to be performed by the Iranian Judiciary officials, it noted.
The IRGC also said that the vessel was captured at 10 am local time on Monday at the request of the Ports and Maritime Organization of Iran and after the provincial prosecutor of Hormozgan issued a warrant.
Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh cited Tuesday that technical reasons was behind the seizure of a South Korean-flagged vessel, saying the vessel was creating environmental hazard.
Asked by reporters about the news of the Korean vessel's seizure, Khatibzadeh described it as a technical issue.
“Based on initial reports coming from local authorities, the issue is completely technical, and the vessel was led ashore upon a judicial order because it had been polluting the sea,” the spokesman said on Monday night.
“Like other countries, the Islamic Republic of Iran is sensitive about such offences, especially polluting the marine environment; so, it deals with such offences in accordance with the law,” he added.
