Maersk Tigris Held By Iranians Over 10-Year Old Missing Cargo

By Sabina Zawadzki and Jonathan Saul

COPENHAGEN/LONDON, April 29 (Reuters) – Danish delivery firm Maersk stated on Wednesday the crew of the Maersk Tigris container ship have been protected and “in good spirits” after Iranian authorities seized the vessel within the Strait of Hormuz the day past.

Iranian patrol boats fired warning photographs as they intercepted the vessel, stoking tensions in one of many world’s busiest oil delivery lanes and spurring the United States to ship army vessels to watch the scenario.

The 65,000-tonne, Marshall Islands-flagged Maersk Tigris is managed and crewed by Rickmers Shipmanagement however on rent to Maersk Line, the delivery unit of Maersk, the world’s largest container delivery concern.

Maersk stated it was in dialogue with the Danish Foreign Ministry and searching for extra data because it nonetheless didn’t know the rationale for the diversion of the Maersk Tigris.

Iran’s Ports and Maritime Organization stated a court docket had ordered the ship seized after ruling towards Maersk Line in a case about money owed introduced by Pars Talaie, an Iranian firm.

Tasnim, an Iranian information company, quoted a Pars Talaie lawyer as saying the debt concerned a cargo that Pars Talaie employed Maersk to take from the Iranian port of Abadan to Dubai greater than a decade in the past however which had by no means arrived.

Maersk stated it was not the proprietor of the ship and that it was making an attempt to ascertain the details of any authorized case. Rickmers stated the Maersk Tigris was owned by “various private investors”.

Maersk stated the vessel was confronted in worldwide waters whereas Rickmers stated the incident occurred in a broadly recognised worldwide delivery lane.

INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING LANE

“The information we had from the (ship’s) master at the time of the approach by the Iranian navy … was that he was at that particular time…in an international shipping lane,” Rickmers spokesman Cor Radings stated.

“It is the Strait of Hormuz, which is literally in Iranian waters. But there is an internationally acknowledged shipping corridor in international waters which is used by commercial shipping.”

Radings stated there have been 24 crew members on the vessel, principally from japanese Europe and Asia though there was additionally a British nationwide amongst them. The crew have been “in relatively good condition and safe” onboard the vessel, which was not broken.

“We have now been able to communicate with the vessel which we were unable to do for quite a long period after she was taken deeper into Iranian waters. We have no official contact with the Iranians so far or any official documentation or notification.”

Ship monitoring knowledge on Reuters confirmed the vessel was anchored at 0930 GMT on Wednesday not far off Iran’s mainland and near the main Iranian port of Bandar Abbas.

The incident occurred at a essential juncture in U.S.-Iranian relations, which might thaw ought to a tentative nuclear deal between Tehran and 6 world powers together with Washington be clinched. It additionally coincides with heightened pressure between regional arch-rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia over the escalating civil struggle in Yemen wherein they assist opposing sides.

A Maersk assertion stated: “We are continuing our efforts to obtain more information about (Iran’s) seizure – in international waters – of Maersk Tigris. We are not able at this point to establish or confirm the reason behind the seizure.”

The Danish Foreign Ministry stated it was monitoring the scenario intently and in touch with Maersk. (Additional reporting by Sam Wilkin in Dubai; Editing by Mark Heinrich)

Full protection: Maersk Tigris Seizure