India seeks consular access for 16 crew members of ship detained by Iran

The Indian Embassy in Tehran on Saturday urged Iranian authorities to grant consular access to 16 Indians who were part of a ship’s crew and were detained by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on December 8.

The detained persons were aboard the vessel MT Valiant Roar, which is owned by Glory International FZ LLC / Prime Tankers LLC, Dubai, also referred to as Global Tankers in India.

The crew members were detained while the vessel was in international waters off the Dibba port near Dubai, PTI quoted their family members as saying. They added that the vessel was carrying Very Low Sulphur Fuel Oil, but Iranian authorities have accused the crew of smuggling diesel.