Danish shipping giant Maersk insisted yesterday on the release of a vessel and crew seized by Iran but an Iranian Embassy statement said the Maersk Tigris would only be let go once a years-old debt case was settled.
The Marshall-Islands flagged Maersk Tigris container ship was detained by Iranian forces in the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday after shots were fired across its bow, spurring the US to send military vessels to monitor the situation.
Maersk had chartered the ship, which according to ship operator Rickmer Shipmanagement is owned by undisclosed private investors. The company met with Iran’s Ports and Maritime Organisation on Wednesday and said the company “must presume” the seizure was related to the dispute.
“We have, however, not received any written or formal confirmation that the seizure and the cargo case are connected,” the company said.
“We must insist that the crew and vessel are released as soon as possible. The crew is not employed by Maersk Line, nor is the vessel owned by Maersk Line. Maersk Tigris and its crew are thus not in any way party to the case.”
Maersk, the world’s biggest container shipping line, said it had agreed to pay an Iranian company $163,000 after an Iranian court ruling in February which related to a dispute about 10 container boxes transported to Dubai in 2005.
“The Iranian company appealed the case seeking a higher compensation,” Maersk said.
A statement from the Iranian Embassy in Copenhagen said the Maersk Tigris was owned by Maersk and that it had been apprehended in Iranian waters.
“Naturally the ship will be released after settlements of debts by Maersk Shipping Line and will be allowed to sail to its final destination,” the statement, dated April 29 but posted yesterday, said. The incident occurred at a critical juncture in US-Iranian relations, which could thaw should a tentative nuclear deal between Tehran and six world powers including Washington be clinched.
The Maersk Tigris was anchored close to the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas, according to Reuters ship tracking data. It was the second ship in less than a week to be approached by Iranian patrol boats. Earlier the US-flagged Maersk Kensington was followed but no shots were fired, the Pentagon said on Wednesday, adding the incidents showed “a pattern of harassment”.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said Tehran “will respect international navigation in the Gulf”.