The return of Greek sailors of tankers detained in Iran begins

The return of the Greek sailors manning the two Greek-flagged tankers held by the Iranian authorities in retaliation for the case of the cargo of the tanker Lana that remains in the Piraeus anchorage has begun, the Panhellenic Union of Merchant Marine Sailors (PENEN) said in a statement. .

PENEN states that “in a recent visit of a delegation of the Union to Iran, the Iranian side took a significant step back, accepted and agreed to the replacement of the two crews. This means that the stranded sailors will immediately return to the countries they came from.”

According to information from PENEN, “the beginning of the release will probably start from tomorrow Monday with the return of the Greek Petty Officer of the ship “Prudent Warrior”. He is expected to be granted the relevant visa today.”

On the second ship “Delta Poseidon”, in which the number of Greeks is 9 people, their replacement will take place in the next few days and the entire Greek crew will return.

Similar actions are being launched in parallel for the foreign seafarers of the two ships.

All Greek sailors will be replaced with foreigners, except for one Greek who wishes to stay on board.

Regarding the release of the ships, PENEN reports that the situation remains nebulous and the landscape is not going to clear up, at least in the month of September, since the Iranians are asking for a series of guarantees from the Greek side for which there is no visible solution on the horizon …

PENEN notes that from the first moment it demanded from the government, that the crews of the ships should not be used as a lever of pressure or a negotiating paper by the Greek authorities in the international and European organizations, so that their replacement can be launched, regardless of what the development will be concerning the release of the ships.

Unfortunately, adds the trade union organization, this position of ours became possible very late and when the Greek side submitted the relevant request, the Iranian authorities accepted it immediately!

Lana

In the meantime, the tanker “Lana” carrying Iranian oil is anchored in Piraeus, fully manned, and has all the maritime documents for its seaworthiness.

Finally, PENEN underlines, it is surprising that an Iranian newspaper wrote that the Iranian government has information that if the ship “Lana” leaves Greece and goes out into international waters, the US will attempt to seize the ship and confiscate its cargo, “criminally” implementing the US decision to embargo Iranian oil.