Damage sustained by M/T Richmond Voyager after personnel from an Iranian naval vessel fired multiple long bursts of rounds from small arms and crew-served weapons during an attempt to unlawfully seize the commercial tanker, according to U.S. Navy, is seen, in the Gulf of Oman, in this handout photo provided by U.S. Navy on July 5, 2023. U.S. Naval Forces Central Command/U.S. 5th Fleet/Handout via REUTERS
LONDON, July 7 (Reuters) – The Bahamas-flagged Richmond Voyager was not involved in any collision in the Gulf, its manager, U.S. oil major Chevron CVX.N, told Reuters on Friday, after Iran said it had a court order to seize the vessel.
The U.S. Navy said on Wednesday that it had intervened to prevent Iran from seizing two commercial tankers including the Richmond Voyager in the Gulf of Oman, in the latest in a series of attacks on ships in the area since 2019.
Iranian naval personnel had fired multiple, long bursts at the Richmond Voyager although the vessel did not sustain significant damage and the seafarers on board were not injured, the U.S. Navy said.
Iran said on Thursday it had a court order to seize the tanker after it collided with an Iranian ship, injuring five of the crew and causing flooding onboard, the Maritime Search and Rescue Center of Iran’s Hormozgan province told the official IRINN news agency.
“Chevron has not received any notification of legal proceedings, court order or otherwise from Iran,” a company spokesperson said.
“Further, contrary to some sources, the Richmond Voyager was not involved in any collision in the Arabian Gulf.”
Top ship registries including the Marshall Islands and Greece have warned in recent weeks of the threat to commercial shipping in the Gulf including the Strait of Hormuz.
(Reporting by Jonathan Saul in London and Lisa Barrington in DubaiEditing by Matthew Lewis)
(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2023.
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