First crew member of seized Greek tankers in Iran returns home-sources

A crew member from one of two Greek tankers which were seized by Iranian authorities in May arrived safely in Athens on Tuesday, Greek officials said.

Iran has agreed to release the crews of the Greek tankers it seized in May, the MT Prudent Warrior and Delta Poseidon, in response to the confiscation of oil by the United States from an Iranian-flagged tanker in Greece.

“The second captain of Delta Poseidon has arrived home, in Athens,” a shipping ministry official told Reuters.

The crew member is the first to return home from a total of about 48 seafarers – Greeks, Filipinos and a Cypriot – who are expected to be gradually released and replaced in the coming days, a Greek official told Reuters.

The months-long diplomatic impasse has strained relations between Athens and Tehran as tensions grow between Iran and the United States.

The release of the tankers would take longer than the replacement of the crews, a coast official said on Monday.