At approximately 0822 EST, United States Naval Forces Central Command/ 5th Fleet announced that the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps Navy (IRGCN) had seized the Marshall Islands-flagged tanker, Advantage Sweet.
NAVCENT statement on Iran's unlawful seizure of a merchant vessel in the Gulf of Oman today: pic.twitter.com/EJxcsynA1m
— U.S. Naval Forces Central Command/U.S. 5th Fleet (@US5thFleet) April 27, 2023
However, by 1030 EST, the United States Navy had confirmed it was actually Iranian Navy (IRIN) vessels that carried out the seizure.
What next??
— God is a Patriot (@Yancy7670413322) April 27, 2023
The Iranian Navy put out a statement claiming that the tanker had collided with an Iranian Navy vessel in the Indian Ocean. The incident reportedly killed two of their sailors and injured several others. The IRIN Destroyer Shahid Binder then landed a team on the tanker with their onboard helicopter, taking command of this ship. The Iranians claimed that after the initial collision, the Advantage Sweet had not rendered aid or halted for the Iranian vessels, then turned off its AIS and made erratic maneuvers.
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— ???????? ????? ?? (@Tasnimnews_Fa) April 27, 2023
The footage was also published by unconfirmed sources purporting to show the Advantage Sweet from onboard an unnamed Iranian vessel, possibly the Shahid Binder.
????? ADVANTAGE SWEET ?? ???? ????? ?????? ?? ????? ???? ???? ????? ?????? ???? ?? ????? ????? ????? ??.
????? ?????? ?? ????? ????? ?????? ???? pic.twitter.com/Sm55yiZusM
— Iranian? Naval Force (@Navy_Iranian) April 27, 2023
ADVANTAGE SWEET (IMO: 9587192) is a Crude Oil Tanker that was built in 2012 (11 years ago) and is sailing under the flag of Marshall Is.
Her carrying capacity is 159058 t DWT and her current draught is reported to be 13 meters. Her length overall (LOA) is 274.23 meters and her width is 48.34 meters.
She was en route from Saudi Arabia to Houston, Texas when the incident occurred.
