Complete Maritime Profile & Reviews of Advantage-Sweet

The Advantage Sweet tanker, which faced detention by Iranian authorities for over a year, has finally been released and set sail from Bandar Abbas Anchorage on July 11, 2024. The vessel was initially boarded by Iranian military forces in the Gulf of Oman on April 27, 2023, under allegations that it collided with an Iranian boat before proceeding without addressing the incident. However, many speculated that the true reason behind the seizure was Iran's vendetta linked to a U.S. court ruling. The U.S. court had mandated that cargo aboard the Iranian oil tanker Suez Rajan be seized, with funds earmarked for the compensation of victims from the September 11 attacks. In August 2023, this cargo, which consisted of coils, was successfully offloaded at the Texas coast. Following this, in March 2024, a Tehran court transferred the focus to the Advantage Sweet, ordering the seizure of its cargo valued at around $50 million. Reports indicated that this seized cargo would aid in funding compensation for Iranian patients diagnosed with Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB), a rare genetic skin condition. A Swedish medical company which specializes in supplies such as dressings and bandages for EB patients had previously halted shipments to Iran due to sanctions imposed by the U.S. and other Western nations. On the very day of the tanker’s release, Iranian courts determined that the U.S. government was liable for paying $6.8 billion to the individuals suffering from Epidermolysis Bullosa, further emphasizing the complex interplay between international maritime law and geopolitical tensions.

In a significant legal move, an Iranian court has commanded the confiscation of the crude oil cargo aboard the 'Advantage Sweet' tanker, a year following the ship's contentious seizure by Iran's navy. While Iran has intermittently labeled the cargo or tanker as American, it's noteworthy that the true ownership of this vessel, which is registered in the Marshall Islands, lies with a Chinese leasing firm affiliated with the Shanghai Pudong Development Bank. The tanker is operated by the Turkish company Genel Denizcilik Nakliyati on behalf of Swiss firm Advantage Tankers. Initially detained in April 2023, the 'Advantage Sweet' was chartered to Chevron at the time of its seizure, having loaded a partial refined product cargo in Kuwait before departing on April 25, 2023, destined for Houston. On April 27, Iranian military forces intercepted the tanker in the Gulf of Oman and redirected it into Iranian waters, culminating in its confiscation through a court order. Iran has justified this bold action by alleging a collision involving an unidentified vessel that resulted in casualties and injuries to crew members aboard an Iranian ship in the Persian Gulf. They claimed that the 'Advantage Sweet' was responsible for the incident, despite the lack of supporting evidence for these allegations. Interestingly, the Iranian court's decision to seize the cargo followed a lawsuit filed by local patients suffering from Epidermolysis Bullosa, a rare genetic skin condition. The suit arose due to a Swedish manufacturer’s refusal to export specialized medical bandages and dressings to Iran amid stringent U.S. and Western sanctions. In the court ruling, no mention was made of the previous collision claims, with the cargo valuation pegged at approximately $50 million. This incident occurred in close proximity to U.S. efforts to confiscate an Iranian oil shipment, estimated at one million barrels, from the Greek tanker 'Suez Rajan', anchored near Singapore. This U.S. action was prompted by victims' families from the September 11 attacks, ultimately resulting in the cargo's offloading in Texas and the proceeds being directed to a compensation fund. The seizure of the 'Advantage Sweet' is just one of several interventions reported by Iran, including the alleged seizure of the 'St Nikolas' (formerly 'Suez Rajan') in January 2024, which had direct ties to the previous incident. Iran has warned of retaliatory measures in response to the U.S. actions against its oil shipments. Currently, Iran is detaining 90 crew members and has seized five tankers in total. Historically, Iran had captured Greek tankers amid tensions with Greece, which had previously detained a tanker that Iran claimed as its own after it was identified as a Russian vessel. The U.S. faced setbacks in legal attempts to seize cargo from that disputed tanker in Greece.

The maritime landscape has shifted as the 'Advantage Sweet' and the 'Niovi' have been located just south of Bandar Abbas, near a military base in Iran's Hormozgan province, on May 6. The 'Advantage Sweet', carrying a crew of 23 Indians and one Russian, was seized by Iranian authorities on April 27 while navigating the Gulf of Oman. Iranian officials alleged that the vessel had collided with another ship; however, tracking data indicates that the 'Advantage Sweet' exhibited no erratic behavior during its journey. At the time of its unlawful capture, the tanker was transporting Kuwaiti crude oil for American energy company Chevron Corp., based in San Ramon. This incident follows the earlier disappearance of the 'Suez Rajan', which was thought to be carrying Iranian crude oil and was removed from anchorage near Singapore a year after evading U.S. sanctions. The 'Suez Rajan' was seized under an American order. For further details and satellite imagery, visit https://nypost.com/2023/05/07/satellite-photos-reveal-oil-tankers-seized-by-iran-anchored-off-port-city/