Post-diplomatic efforts, Iran releases 10 Indian sailors onboard oil tanker seized in July 2025

NEW DELHI: Ten Indian sailors, detained in Iran in July 2025 on board an oil tanker, have been released after “sustained diplomatic engagement”, Directorate General of Shipping said in a statement on Tuesday.

Sailors on MV Harbour Phoenix were “detained, arrested and imprisoned in Iran following the vessel’s interception near Jask Port in July 2025”, it said.

“Through sustained diplomatic engagement and coordinated efforts between the Directorate General of Shipping, Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Ministry of External Affairs, Embassy of India in Tehran, RPSL company, vessel managers, and other stakeholders, the seafarers have now been released and reunited safely,” the statement said, adding, “Necessary arrangements are being coordinated for the earliest return of the crew members to India.”

The shipping directorate did not give further details on the reason for their arrest or about the vessel, which ship tracking sites list as a Palau-flagged oil products tanker.

The 32-year-old oil tanker is registered to UAE-based company Harbour Phoenix Shipping. The tanker operates under the flag of Palau and has primarily navigated maritime corridors within the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman. The vessel was intercepted in July 2025 by Iranian forces near Jask Port over alleged diesel smuggling charges.

Iran has restricted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz — which normally carries about one-fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) shipments — since the US and Israel launched attacks on Feb 28. Several peace efforts are currently under way to remove the Iranian restrictions and open the Strait for merchant vessels.
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