MT Desh Shanti arrives in Vizag after Iran release

VISAKHAPATNAM: Shipping Corporation of India's (SCI) oil tanker, MT Desh Shanti, which was detained in Iran for 26 days, arrived at Visakhapatnam port in the early hours today, sources said.

"The tanker reached at Off Shore Tanker Terminal (OSTT) of Visakhapatnam Port at 0535 hours today," port sources said.

The vessel was detained on August 12 by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) in the Persian Gulf while carrying oil from Basrah in Iraq to Visakhapatnam. It was released on September 6.

The Iranian authorities had detained the ship carrying 140,000 tonnes of Iraqi crude, citing environmental and pollution concerns, despite Indian protests.

India had strongly objected to the detention, saying it was in transgression of UN Convention on the Laws of the Sea and warned of serious ramifications. It was released after the SCI, India's largest shipping company, submitted a letter of undertaking to the Iranian Ports and Maritime Organisation.