03 May 2023; MEMO: Greece issued a series of warnings to ship-owners to avoid sailing close to Iranian waters days before Tehran seized two tankers amid heightening tensions in the region, according to documents and industry sources, Reuters reports.
Iran seized a second oil tanker in a week on Wednesday in Gulf waters, the US Navy said, the latest escalation in a series of seizures or attacks on commercial vessels in Gulf waters since 2019.
The incident comes after Iran, on 27 April, seized a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman, which is being held by authorities in the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas.
Greece is home to many of the world's leading ship owners, managers and the broader maritime services industry.
"Due to recent Iranian threats of possible retaliation against Greek shipping, we strongly recommend the navigation in the above area, as well as in the Straits of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman to be carried out, if possible, outside the waters under Iran's jurisdiction, and under increased caution when sailing near the above areas," Greece's Shipping Ministry said in an advisory dated 20 April seen by Reuters.
Greek government officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment...
About a fifth of the world's crude oil and oil products passes through the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow choke point between Iran and Oman, according to data from analytics firm, Vortexa.
Maritime, security company, Ambrey, said following the initial warning by Greece's Shipping Ministry, it "observed the exodus of an unusually high number of Greek-flagged vessels from the Gulf region"...
Washington has seized a cargo of Iranian oil in recent weeks, aboard a tanker managed by a Greek company.
