ATHENS: The crew of a tanker seized by Iran's navy this week in a row with the United States are safe, the vessel's Greek owners said on Sunday (Monday in Manila). Eighteen Filipinos and a Greek are on board.

Empire Navigation said in a statement that an associate had contacted Iranian authorities and reported that 'all the crew members on board the St. Nikolas are safe and in good health.' The company added that it had not been itself able to directly contact the 19-man crew of the Marshall Islands-flagged ship, which is anchored in the vicinity of the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas.