Gibraltar says no longer any grounds to keep Grace 1 detained

Record ID: 1427291

  • Title: Gibraltar says no longer any grounds to keep Grace 1 detained
  • Date: 15th August 2019
  • Summary: GIBRALTAR (AUGUST 15, 2019) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF GIBRALTAR COURT SERVICE BUILDING (SOUNDBITE) (English) GIBRALTAR LAWYER WHO ATTENDED THE HEARING, CHARLES GOMEZ, SAYING: "The vessel is no longer covered within the ambit of the EU sanctions and as a result the court has noted, taken note of the fact that it is not longer covered and if it's no longer covered there is no compunction for the ship to continue to be arrested. The arrest, therefore is no longer valid and the vessel can leave immediately." VARIOUS OF ATTORNEY GENERAL FOR GIBRALTAR, MICHAEL LLAMAS (GREY SUIT), LEAVING COURT BUILDING VARIOUS OF IRANIAN OIL TANKER GRACE 1 SITTING ANCHORED OFF GIBRALTAR'S COAST GIBRALTAR POLICE SPEED BOAT GRACE 1 SITTING ANCHORED OFF GIBRALTAR'S COAST
  • Embargoed: 29th August 2019 15:55
  • Keywords: Royal Marines Iranian oil tanker Grace 1 Gibraltar court decision tanker swap
  • Location: GIBRALTAR
  • City: GIBRALTAR
  • Country: Gibraltar
  • Topics: Crime/Law/Justice,Judicial Process/Court Cases/Court Decisions
  • Reuters ID: LVA001ASBXE13
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text:Gibraltar decided on Thursday (August 15) to free the Iranian oil tanker Grace 1, detained off the British overseas territory six weeks ago by Royal Marines, paving the way for a possible swap for a British-flagged tanker seized by Iran in the Gulf.
    The two tankers have become pawns in the standoff between Iran and the West, their fate tangled up in the diplomatic differences between the EU's big powers and the United States.
    The Grace 1 was seized by commandos in darkness off peninsula on July 4.
    Gibraltar Chief Minister Fabian Picardo decided to lift the detention order after formal written assurances from Tehran that the ship will not discharge its 2.1 million barrels of oil in Syria, but added that the ship had not yet been released.
    It was not immediately clear when the Grace 1 would sail as the United States made a late request to seize the vessel.
    The seizure of the Grace 1 triggered a row with Tehran, which accused Britain of piracy. Two weeks later, on July 19, Iran's Revolutionary Guards seized the British-flagged Stena Impero in the Gulf.
    (Production: Marco Trujillo, Mariano Valladolid, Silvio Castellanos)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2019. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
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