Ship Seized by Iran to Be Freed after Settlement of Debts
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The Iranian embassy in Denmark announced that a Marshall Islands-flagged ship, which was recently seized by Iranian naval forces in the Strait of Hormuz, will be allowed to leave the country after settlement of its debts.
MV Maersk Tigris, a Danish owned vessel registered in the Marshall Islands, was intercepted by the Iranian Coast Guard and diverted toward Larak Island near Bandar Abbas on Tuesday.
“The ship was seized on April 28 by court order and following a private complaint and lawsuit against it over debts to the Iranian companies,” the embassy said in a statement issued on Friday.
The move by the Iranian authorities was in compliance with international law and norms and the Islamic Republic of Iran’s regulations, the embassy noted.
The Iranian embassy emphasized that naturally, the vessel will be allowed to leave the country after the payment of its debts.
The vessel has been described as a 65,000-ton container ship and listed as sailing from Saudi Arabia's Red Sea port of Jeddah, bound for the United Arab Emirates port of Jebel Ali in the Persian Gulf.
It reportedly had 24 crew on board, mostly from Eastern Europe and Asia.
