South Korean shipowner DM Shipping has sold a handysize chemical that made front page headlines when it was seized by Iran in January, according to broker reports.
The 17,400-dwt Hankuk Chemi (built 2000) is said to have been sold to a Chinese buyer for $5.5m.
Executives at DM Shipping declined to comment on the sale reports, citing a company policy of not talking to the media.
Although a run-of-the-mill Japanese-built chemical tanker, the Hankuk Chemi shot to international fame when it was seized by Iran's elite Revolutionary Guard while transiting the Strait of Hormuz on 4 January.
The official line from the Iranian authorities was that the ship had been arrested because of pollution issues, although exactly how it did so was never fully explained.
Iran's claims did not hold water outside of the country.
The seizure was widely seen as a thinly disguised attempt at hostage diplomacy, with Iran accused of holding the ship and its crew to force the South Korean government to release billions of dollars in Iranian funds frozen in South Korean banks.
Reports said the funds totalled $7bn.
High-level diplomatic talks between Iran and South Korea resulted in the ship being released from Iranian custody in early April.
While the seizure did not immediately lead to the release of the frozen Iranian funds, an agreement was reached in July that would allow those funds to be used to pay off any Iranian debts in South Korea and Japan.
South Korean banks are still unable to transfer the funds directly to Iran due to US sanctions.
