SEOUL (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 09th April, 2021) Iran has released the South Korean oil tanker, Hankuk Chemi, and its captain more than three months after the detention in the Persian Gulf over the alleged violation of ecological standards, the South Korean Foreign Ministry said on Friday.
Hankuk Chemi with 20 crew members was detained by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in the Persian Gulf on January 4. The Iranian government said the detention of tankers with recorded water pollution was a regular practice.
According to the ministry, the vessel with the captain and 12 other crew members left the port of Bandar Abbas at 01:20 GMT. Several crew members have been released earlier.
Some media claimed that the detention of Hankuk Chemi was Iran's response to freezing $7 billion of its assets by Seoul upon the request of the United States. The ship's release is reportedly linked to the progress in the talks between Tehran and Seoul on unblocking the Iranian assets.
