The 2004-built vessel has been held by the Iranians at Bandar Abbas for 24 days since it was seized by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) on a voyage carrying 140,000 tonnes of crude oil from Iraq to India. The ship was charged with polluting Iranian waters, specifically discharging oily ballast water.
The arrest sparked a heated exchange between the two countries, with India calling for the vessel's immediate, unconditional release, rejecting Iran's call for a $1m letter of guarantee to secure the vessel's release.
A letter to the Iranian authorities read, "we, the Indian administration, strongly object to this colourable exercise of power and remind your administration that your act in this case was in transgression of the UNCLOS'82 and several other international conventions."
The pollution charges were strongly denied by the ship's owner, the Shipping Corporation of India, and with no technical faults found on the vessel, some have speculated that the arrest was politically motivated. India has reduced its imports of Iranian oil in the wake of escalating sanctions on Iran led by Western countries.
New Delhi provided evidence that the vessel was never closer than 400 nautical miles to the area where the alleged pollution occurred.Â
Iranian authorities maintain that the detention was a technical and non-political issue.Â
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