Iran on Wednesday released the Marshall Islands-flagged tanker Talara and all 21 crew members, five days after the vessel was intercepted in the Strait of Hormuz.

The ship’s manager, Cyprus-based Columbia Shipmanagement, confirmed that the crew were safe, in good spirits, and that the tanker had been allowed to return to normal operations.

The release came with no immediate explanation from Iranian authorities. The interception marked Iran’s first known tanker seizure in months, at a time when regional tensions remain high following Iran’s 12-day conflict with Israel in June and ongoing concerns surrounding the country’s nuclear programme.

Ship-tracking data analysed by the Associated Press showed that the Talara was travelling away from Iranian waters after its release. The vessel was sailing in ballast, suggesting its cargo of high-sulphur gasoil had been removed before it was let go.

The oil-monitoring website Tanker Trackers, citing satellite imagery, reported that Iran appeared to have offloaded the fuel cargo on Tuesday. Columbia Shipmanagement stated that it was not in a position to provide commercial details about what happened to the shipment.

The company added that no allegations were made against the vessel, its crew, or its managers and owners at any point before the release.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) previously said the tanker was intercepted for “carrying unauthorised cargo”. The vessel had been sailing from Ajman in the United Arab Emirates to Singapore when Iranian forces stopped it around 20 nautical miles off Khor Fakkan on Friday and diverted it to Bandar Abbas.

The U.S. Central Command described the move as an illegal seizure, saying Iranian forces arrived by helicopter, boarded the vessel, and directed it into Iranian waters. According to its statement, such actions violate international law and threaten freedom of navigation and global trade flows.

The Strait of Hormuz, a 90-mile corridor between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, is one of the world’s most important shipping routes, carrying roughly 20% of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments. Iran has periodically seized tankers and cargo vessels in the waterway over recent years.

In 2022, Tehran held two Greek tankers for several months. It seized the Portuguese-flagged MSC Aries in April 2024. Earlier in 2024, an Iranian naval force seized a crude carrier off Oman, believed to be linked to a previous U.S. oil confiscation.

Many of these incidents happened alongside Houthi attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea during the Israel-Hamas war, which have significantly disrupted regional shipping routes.

After the Talara was released, Columbia Shipmanagement told the families that all 21 crew members were safe. Ship-tracking data showed the tanker had resumed its journey away from Iranian waters.

References: BBC, AP News