Vessel boarded by pirates off UAE, later released in Iranian waters

A commercial vessel that had been boarded by pirates in the Gulf of Oman has been released and is under the control of its master, the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) posted on its website on Tuesday, April 14.

The vessel, which security consultancy firm Dryad Global has identified as the Hong Kong-flagged tanker SC Taipei, was boarded by armed men at around 12:28 UTC on Tuesday while at anchor 50 nautical miles off Fujairah in the UAE.

Later in the day on Tuesday, the UKMTO issued a statement saying that the vessel had been released by the perpetrators and was anchored three nautical miles off Ras al Kuh, Iran.

The vessel and its entire crew are reported to be safe.

The UKMTO said that it is continuing to monitor the situation even in the absence of any immediate danger to the vessel and its crew.