Minister of State for External Affairs V. Muraleedharan said that all 24 Indian crew aboard Iranian oil tanker VLCC Grace 1 have been released by Gibraltar authorities on Thursday.
"Spoke to our High Commission @HCI_London on VLCC Grace 1. They confirmed all 24 Indian crew aboard VLCC Grace 1 have been released by Gibraltar authorities and are free to return to India," Muraleedharan tweeted.
On July 4, British marines helped Gibraltar in detaining Grace 1, the Iranian tanker, which was reportedly carrying oil to Syria in violation of sanctions slapped against the Gulf nation by the European Union.
Two weeks later, Iran seized a British oil tanker near the Strait of Hormuz, further escalating the tension between the two countries.
Twenty-four Indians were on board 'Grace 1' and 18 were on board British tanker Stena Impero.
The seizure of Grace 1, carrying 2.1 million barrels of Iranian crude oil, deepened international tensions in the Persian Gulf.
Iran called the seizure by Gibraltar an "act of piracy."
Shortly after the detention of the Grace 1, Iran seized the British-flagged oil tanker Stena Impero, which remains held by the Islamic Republic. Analysts had hoped the release of the Grace 1 by Gibraltar would see the Stena Impero similarly released.
