The elderly bitumen carrier Asphalt Princess, which was seized by armed men in the Gulf of Oman, is safe, the United Kingdom Marine Trade Operations has reported.

“Boarders have left the vessel. Vessel is safe. Incident complete,” the organisation said in an update published on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, a group of armed men is believed to have boarded and seized the 9,700-dwt, 1976-built vessel when it was 113 km (61 nautical miles) east of Fujairah in what was described as a non-hijacking incident.