South Korean ship Hancock Kemi was intercepted by Islamic authorities on charges of polluting the Persian Gulf
Iran detained a South Korean oil tanker that left Saudi Arabia in the Persian Gulf. The country's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed the vessel was intercepted on charges of polluting the Persian Gulf with chemical sprays. South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not immediately comment on the seizure.
The naval branch of the IRGC said in a statement on Monday that the ship was intercepted at the request of the Ports and Sea Department of Hormozgan Province and on instructions from the provincial prosecutor. The statement added that a ship named Hancock Kemi from South Korea left the port of Jubail, Saudi Arabia. The ship was polluting the waters of the Persian Gulf with chemicals.
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The IRGC said in a statement that crews from South Korea, Indonesia, Vietnam and Myanmar were on board and all of them had been detained. He is currently being held in the Iranian port of Abbas. The matter has been handed over to the Iranian judiciary for further investigation.
South Korea's deputy foreign minister is due to visit Tehran in a few days. The incident occurred before the seizure of the tanker.
