US Navy intercepts tanker Sevan

U.S. naval forces intercepted the Panama-flagged LPG tanker Sevan in the Arabian Sea on April 25 and ordered it to head back toward Iran. (bloomberg.com) (tribuneindia.com) The Tribune, citing ANI, said the operation was led by the guided-missile destroyer USS Pinckney, with a Navy helicopter used in the intercept. NewKerala reported the ship was then escorted back toward Iranian waters. (tribuneindia.com) (newkerala.com) The U.S. Treasury sanctioned Sevan on April 24, identifying it as LPG SEVAN, IMO 9177806, a Panama-flagged tanker linked to Anka Energy and Logistics Company. Treasury said the vessel carried multiple cargoes of Iranian propane and butane, about 750,000 barrels, to Bangladesh between August and November 2025. (home.treasury.gov) (ofac.treasury.gov) CENTCOM announced on April 12 that it would begin a blockade of maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports at 10 a.m. Eastern time on April 13. The command said the measure would apply to vessels of all nations using Iranian ports, while ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz to non-Iranian ports would not be impeded. (centcom.mil) The Sevan interception appears to be part of that broader enforcement campaign. In a separate April 19 case, CENTCOM said USS Spruance intercepted the Iranian-flagged cargo vessel Touska and that U.S. forces had directed 25 commercial vessels to turn around or return to an Iranian port since the blockade began. (centcom.mil) Some outlet reports now put that rerouted-vessel count higher. NewKerala, again citing ANI, said 37 vessels had been redirected by April 26, but CENTCOM had not published that figure in the press releases surfaced here. (newkerala.com) (centcom.mil) Washington has described Sevan as part of Iran’s “shadow fleet,” the web of tankers and intermediaries used to move Iranian energy cargoes despite sanctions. Treasury’s April 24 action targeted roughly 40 shipping firms and vessels in that network. (home.treasury.gov) (ofac.treasury.gov) The immediate facts are firmer than some of the operational detail. Treasury records confirm Sevan’s sanctions status, and CENTCOM has publicly declared the blockade, but the specific account of USS Pinckney turning Sevan back rests mainly on ANI-sourced reports carried by other outlets. (home.treasury.gov) (centcom.mil) (tribuneindia.com) For now, the clearest takeaway is that a tanker sanctioned on April 24 was reportedly stopped at sea on April 25 as the U.S. blockade of Iranian port traffic entered its second week. (ofac.treasury.gov) (centcom.mil)