Sail Bahrain's Kingdom of Bahrain Volvo 60 racing yacht, which is operated by Team Pindar, was stopped by Iranian navy vessels on 25 November.

The crew were on their way from Bahrain to the start of the Dubai-Muscat Offshore Sailing Race, however, it is thought that their boat may have inadvertently strayed into Iranian waters.

The five crew members, all of whom are British nationals, are still in Iran and are understood to be safe and well and their families have been informed.

Commenting on the incident, foreign secretary David Miliband said: "FCO (British Foreign and Commonwealth Office) officials immediately contacted the Iranian authorities in London and in Tehran on the evening of 25 November, both to seek clarification and to try and resolve the matter swiftly.

"Our Ambassador in Tehran has raised the issue with the Iranian Foreign Ministry and we have discussed the matter with the Iranian Embassy in London. I hope this issue will soon be resolved. We will remain in close touch with the Iranian authorities, as well as the families."

Team Pindar is communicating via official statements on its website, but Pindar chairman Andrew Pindar told PrintWeek that the family-owned print wing was not involved with the incident: "It's nothing to do with printing, it's to do with me and sailing. It's a completely separate business."