Seven of tanker Stena Impero's crew reach Dubai after Iran frees them

MOSCOW, Sept 5 (Reuters) - Seven of the 23 crew members of
the British-flagged tanker Stena Impero that was seized by Iran
in July reached Dubai on Thursday after Tehran agreed to their
release, a Russian official said.
The Swedish-owned Stena Impero was detained by Iran's
Revolutionary Guards on July 19 in the Strait of Hormuz for
alleged marine violations, two weeks after Britain detained an
Iranian tanker off the territory of Gibraltar. That vessel was
released in August.
An official with Russia's embassy in Tehran said the seven
crew members -- one Russian, one Latvian and five Indian
nationals -- obtained their visas in Tehran on Wednesday and
then flew to Dubai.
The remaining 16 crew members will remain onboard the ship
"until the fate of the tanker itself is decided", the Russian
official said.
The Stena Impero's 23 crew are of Indian, Russian, Latvian
and Filipino nationality, the vessel's Swedish owner Stena Bulk
has said.
Stena Bulk separately confirmed on Thursday that the seven
crew members had been released and were travelling to a safe
location.
"We continue to work tirelessly to obtain the release of the
remaining crew onboard the Stena Impero and will continue to
provide all possible support to their families during this
difficult time," Erik Hanell, Stena Bulk's chief executive and
president, said in a statement.
"As we have stated previously; from the information we have,
there is no current evidence the Stena Impero breached any
maritime rules or regulations."
Several international merchant vessels have been attacked in
the Gulf this year in incidents that have rocked world commodity
trading. Washington blames Iran, which denies the accusation.
Iran has denounced U.S. efforts to set up a coalition and
says countries in the region can protect waterways and work
towards signing a non-aggression pact.
The seizure of the Adrian Darya 1 Iranian tanker exacerbated
tensions between Tehran and the West that have been growing
since the United States last year quit an international accord
curbing Iran's nuclear program and reimposed economic sanctions.