Iran releases seized oil tanker with entire crew unharmed

• Iran releases oil tanker nearly a week after its seizure.
• All 21 crew members confirmed unharmed.

An oil tanker detained by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards has been freed nearly a week after it was taken, according to the company responsible for operating the vessel.

Columbia Shipmanagement said on Wednesday that the tanker, named Talara, was allowed to depart in the early hours of November 19, ending days of uncertainty over the fate of the ship and its multinational crew.

In a statement provided to Agence France-Presse (AFP), the company confirmed the crew’s safety, saying, "Columbia Shipmanagement can confirm that its managed product tanker TALARA was released at approximately 4:42 AM local time (0112 GMT) on 19 November 2025 with its crew complement of 21 seafarers, all of whom are safe."

Read more: Iran Guards confirm they seized oil tanker in Gulf

Iran's Revolutionary Guards confirmed on Saturday that they had seized an oil tanker in the Gulf off the country's coast, a day after security companies determined they were likely responsible.

"Yesterday morning at 7:30, after a judicial authority ordered the seizure of the cargo of an oil tanker with the trade name Talara and the flag of the Marshall Islands, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) rapid reaction units of the naval forces monitored its movements and intercepted and seized it," said a statement from the IRGC, the ideological arm of the Islamic republic's military.

"The tanker was found to be in violation of the law by carrying unauthorised cargo," the statement continued, adding it "was carrying 30,000 tonnes of petrochemical cargo and was heading to Singapore".

The vessel had departed from Ajman in the United Arab Emirates and was heading south through the Strait of Hormuz when it was approached by three small boats, after which it made a "sudden course deviation", maritime security company Ambrey said.

The US Navy had earlier said it was "actively monitoring the situation".