Iran’s seizure of cargo vessel likely related to 2005 case

Danish shipper Maersk Line that chartered a Marshall Islands-flagged cargo vessel which Iranian forces have seized says the reason for stopping MV Maersk Tigris could be related to a 2005 cargo case.

Maersk Line spokesman Michael Storgaard says they “learned” Thursday that an Iranian appeals court had ruled the company must pay $3.6 million for a 10-container cargo delivered a decade ago on behalf of an Iranian company in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. However, the cargo never was collected, according to Storgaard, adding it eventually was disposed of by local authorities.

Storgaard said Copenhagen-based Maersk Line will “do everything we can to resolve this matter” with Iranian authorities.

He added the ship and crew aren’t theirs. MV Maersk Tigris, operated by Rickmers Ship Management in Singapore, was boarded on Tuesday.

— AP