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Iranian tanker at centre of diplomatic row leaves Gibraltar

Shipping data show vessel moving as territory rejects final US request to hold it longer


Dan Sabbagh and agencies

Mon 19 Aug 2019 01.18 BST
First published on Sun 18 Aug 2019 15.36 BST

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A supertanker
A supertanker hosting an Iranian flag is seen on the water in the British territory of Gibraltar. Photograph: Marcos Moreno/AP

The Iranian supertanker at the centre of a diplomatic row between Britain and Iran left Gibraltar on Sunday night, according to shipping data.

The marine traffic monitoring site Refinitiv showed the vessel moving away from the British territory, where it had been held for six weeks. As of early Monday, the vessel had turned east, with Marine Traffic reporting its destination as Kalamata in Greece.

The news came hours after Gibraltar rejected a final US request to detain the oil tanker Grace 1 – now renamed by Iran as Adrian Darya 1 – any longer. Filled with 2.1m barrels of oil, the ship’s cargo is worth an estimated $140m (£115m).
guardian