Iran seizes two Greek-flagged tankers, Prudent Warrior and Delta Poseidon, in the Persian Gulf
Incident Report
Fact Sheet
| Date | 27 May 2022 |
| Tracker | Strait of Hormuz Tensions |
| Type | Interception |
| Location |
Persian Gulf
26.75, 51.68 (approximate) |
What Happened
On May 27, 2022, Iran's IRGC Navy seized two Greek-flagged suezmax tankers, Prudent Warrior and Delta Poseidon, in helicopter-launched boardings in the Persian Gulf, each carrying roughly one million barrels of oil. Delta Poseidon was seized in international waters off Asalouyeh; Prudent Warrior was taken near Bandar Lengeh. Both were escorted to Bandar Abbas. Iran cited unspecified violations, but the seizures were widely seen as retaliation for Greece's assistance in a US seizure of Iranian oil from the tanker Lana days earlier. Greece called the action 'piracy.' The tankers and their crews were released in November 2022.
Measured Footprint
| Series | That day | Prior 30-day avg | Week after vs before |
|---|---|---|---|
| Transits | 107 +24% | 86.6 | +25% (576 → 719) |
| Tankers | 70 +32% | 53.2 | +26% (362 → 457) |
| Cargo ships | 37 +11% | 33.4 | +22% (214 → 262) |
Daily figures from IMF PortWatch around May 27, 2022; the day's value is compared with the trailing 30-day average. Week comparisons are shown only when the series covers both full weeks.
Persian Gulf
Marker placed at sea area precision.
Activity Around the Incident
Commercial ship transits of the Strait of Hormuz, two weeks either side
Daily counts from IMF PortWatch; the highlighted bar is the incident day, May 27, 2022.
Incidents Around the Same Period
Nearest logged incidents
| Date | Type | Incident |
|---|---|---|
| 4 Jan 2021 | Interception | Iran seizes South Korean tanker Hankuk Chemi near the Strait of Hormuz |
| 30 Jul 2021 | Strike | Iranian drone attack on tanker Mercer Street off Oman kills two crew members |
| 3 Aug 2021 | Interception | Armed boarders briefly seize tanker Asphalt Princess off UAE in foiled hijacking |
| 27 Apr 2023 | Interception | Iran seizes two tankers, Advantage Sweet and Niovi, within a week in the Strait of Hormuz area |