The Iran-flagged Adrian Darya 1, previously known as Grace 1, was shown moving shortly before midnight to an unknown destination, according to the trail left by GPS data on Marinetraffic.com, a vessel tracking service. The vessel had been detained for a month in the British overseas territory for allegedly attempting to breach European Union sanctions on Syria. The tanker was captured with the help of British Royal Marines, amidst escalated tensions between Iran and US.
Gibraltar authorities rejected an eleventh-hour attempt by the United States' to reseize the oil tanker, arguing that EU regulations are less strict than US sanctions on Iran. The vessel's next destination was not immediately known. 24 Indian crew members, who were on board had been released. It is said to be carrying a cargo of at least $130m worth of light crude oil.
An on-duty officer at the Port Authority of Gibraltar declined to comment on the ship's moves and deferred questions to government offices. Iran's ambassador to Britain, Hamid Baeidinejad, had announced on Twitter that the ship was expected to leave Sunday night. The event comes amid a growing confrontation between Iran and the West after President Donald Trump pulled Washington out of Tehran's nuclear deal with world powers over a year ago.
In a tit-for-tat move, Iran had seized a British-flagged tanker on July 19.
The Iranian ship was detained while sailing under a Panamanian flag with the name Grace 1, but, As of Sunday, was rechristened as Adrian Darya 1 and hoisted an Iranian flag. Messages seeking comment from the Iranian Embassy in London were not immediately returned.
