Face Off Maersk Tigris
The Danish shipping giant Maersk Line is still trying to obtain details of the Iranian court ruling that resulted in seizing Maersk Tigris by the Iranian authorities over an alleged commercial dispute.
While the Iranian claimant in the Maersk Tigris case warns vessel could be put for auction if compensation is not paid by Maersk Line, on the other hand, says it has still no received written confirmation of court rulings or ship arrest warrant.
The Maersk Tigris was seized last Tuesday by Iranian patrol boats in the Strait of Hormuz, prompting the United States to send vessels to monitor the situation as well as to accompany U.S.-flagged vessels passing through the strait.
Maersk Line said it had met again with the Ports & Maritime Organization (PMO) in Iran regarding the seizure of the vessel Maersk Tigris but has yet to receive any official documents from Iranian authorities.
Maersk said its representative met Iranian PMO officials, while the Danish ambassador in Iran met with officials from the Iranian ministry of foreign affairs. However, little progress appeared to have been made.
“We have yet to receive any written notifications (court ruling, arrest order or similar) pertaining to the seizure of Maersk Tigris or the cargo case,” Maersk wrote in a statement.
Iran claims that the ship and her crew were detained due to a court ruling in favour of an Iranian freight forwarder dating from ten years ago, but Maersk says it is yet to receive any court rulings, arrest orders or similar documents that could be the foundation for the detainment of Maersk Tigris.
The incident occurred at a critical juncture in U.S.-Iranian relations, which could thaw should a tentative nuclear deal between Tehran and six world powers including Washington be clinched. It also coincides with heightened tension between regional rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia over the civil war in Yemen, in which they support opposing sides.
"We have made a variety of efforts to help secure the release of the ship, including communicating with the commercial entities involved, our diplomatic communication with the Republic of the Marshall Islands," the US State Department Spokesman Jeff Rathke has said.
He added that Washington remained "in contact with them to peacefully resolve the incident and ensure safe passage for the vessel and its crew," but said he would not "get into further details about... diplomatic exchanges about the ship."
