Ahmedabad Times

NEW DELHI: Ten Indian sailors, detained in Iran in July 2025 on board an oil tanker, have been launched after “sustained diplomatic engagement”, Directorate Normal of Transport stated in a press release on Tuesday.Sailors on MV Harbour Phoenix have been “detained, arrested and imprisoned in Iran following the vessel’s interception close to Jask Port in July 2025”, it stated.“By means of sustained diplomatic engagement and coordinated efforts between the Directorate Normal of Transport, Ministry of Ports, Transport and Waterways, Ministry of Exterior Affairs, Embassy of India in Tehran, RPSL firm, vessel managers, and different stakeholders, the seafarers have now been launched and reunited safely,” the assertion stated, including, “Essential preparations are being coordinated for the earliest return of the crew members to India.”The transport directorate didn’t give additional particulars on the rationale for his or her arrest or concerning the vessel, which ship monitoring websites listing as a Palau-flagged oil merchandise tanker.The 32-year-old oil tanker is registered to UAE-based firm Harbour Phoenix Transport. The tanker operates below the flag of Palau and has primarily navigated maritime corridors inside the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman. The vessel was intercepted in July 2025 by Iranian forces close to Jask Port over alleged diesel smuggling prices.Iran has restricted transport by means of the Strait of Hormuz — which usually carries about one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied pure gasoline (LNG) shipments — because the US and Israel launched assaults on Feb 28. A number of peace efforts are at the moment below technique to take away the Iranian restrictions and open the Strait for service provider vessels.