A view of the Grace 1 supertanker is seen backdropped by Gibraltar’s Rock, as it stands at anchor in the British territory of Gibraltar, Thursday, Aug. 15, 2019, seized last month in a British Royal Navy operation off Gibraltar. (AP Photo/Marcos Moreno) A view of the Grace 1 supertanker is seen backdropped by Gibraltar’s Rock, as it stands at anchor in the British territory of Gibraltar, Thursday, Aug. 15, 2019, seized last month in a British Royal Navy operation off Gibraltar. (AP Photo/Marcos Moreno)

All 24 Indian crew members aboard an Iranian oil supertanker were released Thursday of all charges by authorities in Gibraltar, even as the US Department of Justice made a last-minute claim on the vessel. The Indian Captain of the Grace 1 tanker, as reported by PTI, said in a statement: “I am grateful and thankful for my release. And I am grateful to all who have facilitated my release in my legal team.”

Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan also confirmed on Twitter: “Spoke to our High Commission @HCI_London on VLCC Grace 1. They confirmed all 24 Indian crew aboard VLCC Grace 1 have been released by Gibraltar authorities and are free to return to India.”

<p “width=420″ lang=”en” dir=”ltr”>Spoke to our High Commission @HCI_London on VLCC Grace 1. They confirmed all 24 Indian crew aboard VLCC Grace 1 have been released by Gibraltar authorities and are free to return to India. @narendramodi @PMOIndia @AmitShah @DrSJaishankar @MEAIndia @VMBJP— V. Muraleedharan (@MOS_MEA) August 15, 2019

The arrested crew members were aboard the Panama-flagged supertanker that was detained off Europa Point in Gibraltar, a British Overseas Territory on the Spanish coast, last month.

The supertanker, carrying 2.1 million barrels of Iranian oil, was seized by Gibraltar police and British special forces, provoking a diplomatic crisis. The supertanker was suspected of carrying oil to war-ravaged Syria in violation of EU and US sanctions.

A view of the Grace 1 supertanker is seen through the sea fog. The United States moved on Thursday to halt the release of the Iranian supertanker Grace 1, detained in Gibraltar for breaching EU sanctions on oil shipments to Syria, thwarting efforts by authorities in London and the British overseas territory to defuse tensions with Tehran. (AP Photo/Marcos Moreno) A view of the Grace 1 supertanker is seen through the sea fog. The United States moved on Thursday to halt the release of the Iranian supertanker Grace 1, detained in Gibraltar for breaching EU sanctions on oil shipments to Syria, thwarting efforts by authorities in London and the British overseas territory to defuse tensions with Tehran. (AP Photo/Marcos Moreno)

A spokesman for Gibraltar’s government also confirmed that police proceedings against four members of the crew had ended. The Gibraltar authorities had said the vessel is loaded to capacity with crude oil enroute to Syria, in breach of European Union (EU) sanctions.

Crew members stand on the Grace 1 supertanker in the British territory of Gibraltar, Thursday, Aug. 15, 2019, seized last month in a British Royal Navy operation off Gibraltar. (AP Photo/Marcos Moreno) Crew members stand on the Grace 1 supertanker in the British territory of Gibraltar, Thursday, Aug. 15, 2019, seized last month in a British Royal Navy operation off Gibraltar. (AP Photo/Marcos Moreno)

Meanwhile, Iranian authorities suspect that Britain detained the ship at the behest of the Trump administration. Tehran described Britain’s actions as ‘piracy’ and hit back by seizing a British tanker, the Stena Impero, on July 19 in the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

Iran has vehemently called for the release of Grace 1, insisting it had been in international waters and not headed to Syria.

The recent incidents involving the capture of tankers has fomented tensions even as European countries rush to save a landmark nuclear deal with Iran after the US pulled out of the accord in May last year and subsequently imposed sanctions on Iran.

(with PTI inputs)

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