Prudent-Warrior

The Greek shipping minister announced on Nov 17 that the 'Prudent Warrior' has been released by the Iranian government on Nov 16. He said that the concerted efforts of the Greek government over the past five months had led to the release of the vessel by the Iranian government. On Nov 17 the ship was anchored off Fujairah

The Cypriot captain of the 'Prudent Warrior', one of two vessels seized by Iran in May, has returned safely to Cyprus, the Foreign Ministry said on Nov 9. Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides has been in touch with the captain of the vessel. The 'Prudent Warrior' was seized along with the 'Delta Poseidon' by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard in response to the confiscation of oil by the United States from the tanker 'Lana' which was detained on May 25 after being originally stopped in April by Greek port authorities at Karystos, where it sought shelter from bad weather, still named ÄPegas' and sailing under the Russian flag, Tehran gave the green light in September to release the crews ofthe two Greek-owned oil tankers which were seized days after Athens confirmed it would deliver the Iranian oil it had seized from the 'Pegas' to Washington. The 49 crew members of the ships, including 10 Greek sailors and one Cypriot, were held hostage at sea for almost 100 days. During a recent visit of a Greek delegation to Iran, the Iranian side took a significant step back and agreed to replace the two crews.

On June 5 Iran’s Ports and Maritime Organization (PMO) stated that all the crew members of the 'Delta Poseidon' and 'Prudent Warrior', which were seized by the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), were in perfect health and have phone communications with their families. The deputy head of the maritime affairs of Iran’s Hormozgan Province Ports and Maritime has met with the captains onboard the two tankers after receiving numerous messages expressing concern about the conditions of the crew members. In this meeting, the captains of both ships confirmed that all crew members were mentally and physically healthy, and the military forces had treated them appropriately. No complaints have been filed by the ships’ crew members, who have also been provided with SIM cards and cellphones to call their families. The PMO representative provided the tankers’ captains with necessary safety and pollution prevention instructions, the statement said, highlighting the sensitivity of the region. “According to the request of the ships’ captains and in accordance with international regulations and standards, it was decided to take necessary action to facilitate the implementation of international requirements by the ships’ crew, including recording the ship’s events.” The captains were advised to inform the relevant authorities should a new need arise. They were also informed that in accordance with international standards, there would be no restrictions for carrying out daily operations and preparations on board the ships. Cconsular meetings were now possible for the two ships’ crews.