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Iranian tanker on standby to leave Gibraltar despite US attempts to detain

17 August 2019 18:20 (UTC +04:00)

A shipping agent for Iranian supertanker the Grace 1 has claimed that the vessel is prepared to leave Gibraltar in “24 to 48 hours”, despite a last-minute effort by the United States to seize it again, APA reports citing Sputnik.

On Saturday the managing director of Astralship, Richard de la Rosa, said logistical preparations had been put into motion, with a new crew of Indian and Ukrainian nationals on standby to take command of the ship.

Note that Iranian vessel the Grace 1, which has been caught up in a heated diplomatic dispute between Tehran and the West, was given permission to leave Gibraltar on 15 August, with the local authorities confirming on Saturday that the US Department of Justice is still seeking to detain the tanker on a number of allegations.