Seized Cargo Ship Is Released by Iran
The Maersk Line cargo vessel seized at gunpoint at the end of April by Iran in the Strait of Hormuz (only six miles wide near the Persian Gulf and vulnerable to attack) was released on last Thursday May 7th after talks between the shipper and the Iranian authorities.
From New York Times
Iran’s impounding of the vessel, the Maersk Tigris, over what the Iranians described as the enforcement of a civil court judgment, had threatened to raise tensions in the Persian Gulf waterway. Warships from the United States Navy had been assigned to escort American and British commercial shipping in response.
The Maersk Line, the Danish shipping giant, confirmed in a statement that the vessel and its 24-member crew, forced to anchor near Iran’s southern port of Bandar Abbas on April 28, were en route to the port of Jebel Ali in the United Arab Emirates.
From Reuters
Maersk Line said in a separate statement:
“The release follows a constructive dialogue with the Iranian authorities, including the Ports and Maritime Organization, and the provision of a letter of undertaking in relation to the underlying cargo case. We will continue our dialogue with the aim to fully resolve the cargo case.”
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