South Korea calls for early release of tanker seized by Iran

SEOUL: The South Korean government on Tuesday called for the early release of an oil tanker which was seized by Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) in the Gulf over what Tehran claimed to be "repeated violations" of environmental protocols.

Following the seizure on Monday, the IRGC said: "The tanker (Hankuk Chemi), departing from the Saudi port of Al-Jubail, was seized when sailing in the Gulf by the Zulfiqar fleet in the first Naval District of the IRGC for repeated violations of marine environmental laws," Xinhua news agency reported. It was en route to the United Arab Emirates.

The ship was carrying 7,200 tonnes of chemicals derived from petroleum and 20 crewmembers — five South Koreans, 11 Myanmarese, two Indonesians and two Vietnamese, according to the statement.

After being seized, the vessel was docked at the port of Bandar Abbas in southern Iran, and the case will be handed over to local judicial authorities for legal process, the IRGC further said.

In a statement on Tuesday, South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha said that Seoul is making diplomatic efforts for the swift release of the ship and crewmembers, Yonhap News Agency reported.

"We have been trying to figure out what happened through the Iranian Embassy in South Korea and the South Korean Embassy in Iran and continuing to make efforts to address this situation," Kang told reporters at a briefing. (IANS)

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