The owner of a suezmax held in Egypt since December is ready to launch a legal fight to regain control of the vessel.
The 163,000-dwt Sea Shark (built 1991) was detained in the Red Sea after inadvertently straying into Egyptian territorial waters to avoid presenting a danger to shipping when it was prevented from passing through the Suez Canal, according to its master.
Sources close to the situation have since told TradeWinds that the Iranian crude cargo has been discharged into storage tanks in Ain Sukhna after the navy replaced the 31-strong crew with its own personnel.
The vessel is now at anchorage near Suez.
TradeWinds understands a case will be launched in an international court.
One potential forum is the UN-backed International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS).
Switzerland has launched a similar action there to recover an ABC Maritime tanker, the 7,600-dwt San Padre Pio (built 2012), which has been held in Nigeria since January 18 after being accused of illegal ship-to-ship transfers, which its crew deny.
At least five of the Ukrainian crew from Sea Shark have flown home this month.
Egypt had demanded that the seafarers unload their crude cargo due to a possible leak risk.
The tanker is owned by Al Safeena Al Bahria Shipping of the UAE.
The crew of 31 included Ukrainians, Russians, an Azerbaijani and 11 Filipinos, Sri Lankans and Indians.
