Maritime security firms pull UK guards from ships bound for the Gulf

The Financial Times is reporting that maritime security firms are pulling British guards off transits through the Gulf over fears they could be targeted for capture by the Iranians.

Two well known maritime security companies, Ambrey and Maritime Asset Security and Training (MAST), are known to be among those to have replaced UK citizens with guards from other countries as tanker tensions between Iran and Britain remain high.

The UK-flagged Stena Bulk product tanker Stena Impero and its 23 crew were seized on July 19 and remain detained in Iranian waters, as retaliation for UK armed forces detaining an Iranian VLCC off Gibraltar at the start of last month.