Crashed tankers leave Iranian waters

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Bandar Abbas, June 15, IRNA -- Director General of Ports and Maritime Affairs of Hormozgan province (south of Iran) Allah-Morad Afifi-pour said on Saturday that the crashed oil tankers in Sea of Oman have left Iran's territorial waters.

Speaking to reporters, Allahmorad Afifipour said despite of the fact that the crashed ships were oil tankers and their shipment has high environmental risk, thanks to timely action of firefighting teams, there has been no loss of marine pollution caused by oil spills.

He added that the ship which was sent from Shahid Rajaei port to control oil pollution is on the scene of the accident.

One of the two tankers which is Panama-flagged moved toward Khor Fakkan Port, he noted.

He went on to say that Marshal Islands-flagged tanker also is moving toward Khor Fakkan Port.

Afifi Pour said that the vessel traffic service (VTS) center of Shahid Rajaei Port continuously monitors exit of oil tankers from Iran's waters.

The 23 crew members of the ship have been transferred from Jask to Bandar Abbas, he said adding that they will head for Dubai based on Maritime Labour Convention (MLC).

44 sailors of the two foreign oil tankers which were hit by explosions in the Sea of Oman ،on Thursday morning were rescued by an Iranian vessel in coordination with Hormuzgan's maritime search and rescue center.

They were transported to Jask Port in the east of the southern Iranian province of Hormuzgan as Iran's humanitarian gesture.

The two tankers, the Marshal Islands-flagged and the Panama-flagged, were on their ways to Taiwan and Singapore from Qatar and Saudi Arabia, respectively.

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