Maersk Tigris News

Iran is using its sea power in the Gulf to show it will not be cowed by Washington's newly assertive Arab allies, prompting critics to accuse Tehran of destabilising the region. Iranian ships fired shots at a Singapore-flagged tanker which it said damaged an Iranian oil platform, causing the vessel to flee, and seized a container ship in the Strait of Hormuz, the world's most important oil route, over a debt row. The incidents coincided with a push by Washington to reassure Gulf Arab monarchies that their interests would not be threatened by a nuclear accord that Tehran and world powers are trying to reach by the end of June. In an escalating confrontation with Saudi Arabia over Yemen…

Iranian patrol boats opened fire on a Singapore-flagged oil tanker as it moved through the Strait of Hormuz in a confrontation, reports Reuters. The Alpine Eternity, a ship flagged to Singapore, fled toward the shore of the United Arab Emirates, said the official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly. Nobody was injured. The Alpine Eternity issued a radio call for help and the Iranian boats fired a second wave of warning shots, the officials said. The incident reflects rising tensions in the Gulf, fuelled in part by the conflict in Yemen that pits Iranian-backed Shiite rebels against pro-government forces supported by a Saudi-led coalition of Sunni Arab states. There were no U.S. personnel on the vessel, according to CNN.

With Middle East giants Saudi Arabia and Iran squaring up on opposing sides in the Yemen war, the dangers to vital oil tanker and goods voyages are growing daily. Millions of barrels of oil pass through the Bab el-Mandeb and Strait of Hormuz everyday to Europe, the United States and Asia - waterways which pass along the coasts of Yemen and Iran respectively. Insurance costs for shippers are likely to jump. Last week Iran released Marshall-Islands container ship Maersk Tigris and its crew which were seized in the Strait of  Hormuz. This prompted the United States to send vessels to temporarily accompany U.S. flagged ships through the strait. Iranian patrol boats had shadowed a separate container ship earlier last month.

Iran released a Marshall-Islands flagged container ship Maersk Tigris and its crew has been released by Iranian authorities after the cargo company that owns it resolved a financial dispute which had been the subject of a court order. “The Maersk container ship was released and it has left Iranian territorial waters,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham. It will now continue its scheduled voyage to Jebel Ali, in the United Arab Emirates, where it will be met by representatives from Rickmers and others. The Maersk incident coincided with heightened tension between regional arch-rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia over the civil war in Yemen, in which they support opposing sides.

Iran has released a Marshall-Islands flagged container ship and its crew which were seized last month in one of the world's major oil shipping lanes, the vessel's operator said on Thursday. It confirmed reports from Iran. The vessel was diverted on April 28 by Iranian patrol boats in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran had said the vessel would be let go once a years-old debt case with the ship's charterer Maersk Line was settled. "Rickmers Group is pleased to report today its managed container vessel Maersk Tigris with 24 crew members on board has been officially released by Iranian authorities following an order from the court in Bandar Abbas, Iran," the operator and manager said in a statement. "Earlier Maersk Line put up a security in relation to the underlying court case.

There have been reports that members of the crew of the cargo ship Maersk Tigris that had been detained by Iranian authorities, have been released Wednesday. The statement was made by the Iranian Foreign Ministry’s Spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham, as quoted by AFP information agency. She noted that all people on board are in ‘’good health’’ and can receive counselor services immediately if needed. Ms Afkhim added that the ship could be immediately released if ‘’its overdue debt is settled’’. But Maersk Line and Rickmers Shipmanagement have both denied reports that Maersk Tigris has been released. The crew members remain onboard the vessel for the time being.

Maersk Line said on Wednesday it had provided a letter of undertaking in relation to uncollected cargo that has led to the seizure by Iranian authorities of the vessel Maersk Tigris. "Today, we have had a constructive dialogue with the Iranian courts and Ports & Maritime Organization," the Danish shipping company said in a email to Reuters. "Earlier today, we provided a letter of undertaking in relation to the underlying cargo case," it said, without giving further details of what the undertaking may be. Iran said earlier on Wednesday a legal settlement could be reached soon over its seizure of the Marshall-Islands flagged Maersk Tigris container ship in the Strait of Hormuz last month. Reporting by Ole Mikkelsen

Iran said on Wednesday a legal settlement could be reached soon over its seizure of the Marshall-Islands flagged Maersk Tigris container ship in the Strait of Hormuz last month, according to the official IRNA news agency. The Maersk Tigris was diverted on April 28 by Iranian patrol boats in one of the world's major oil shipping lanes, prompting the United States to send vessels to monitor the situation and to accompany U.S.-flagged vessels passing through the strait. Danish shipping giant Maersk has insisted on the release of the vessel and its 24 crew members. Iran says the Maersk Tigris would only be let go once a years-old debt case is settled.

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.

U.S. Navy warships have begun accompanying British-flagged commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz as a result of Iran's detention of a Marshall Islands-flagged cargo ship last week, the Pentagon said on Monday. Army Colonel Steve Warren, a Pentagon spokesman, said the U.S. Navy had accompanied one British ship through the strait, one of the world's most important oil shipping channels, following talks between Washington and London. "They've asked if we would accompany their flagged vessels through the strait," Warren told reporters. The Navy has been accompanying U.S.-flagged ships traversing the strait for several days in response to last week's detention of the MV Maersk Tigris by Iranian Revolutionary Guard patrol boats.

Maersk Line said on Monday 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. 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 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.

Ships from U.S. Naval Forces Central Command in Bahrain have begun accompanying U.S.-flagged maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, Defense Department officials said. Sufficient U.S. naval forces are assigned to the command to meet the requirements of the accompanying mission, officials said, adding that Navcent will coordinate with shipping-industry representatives to ensure the operations go smoothly and efficiently. The mission was prompted by two incidents this week in the Strait of Hormuz in which Iranian navy patrol vessels harassed commercial motor vessels traversing the strait. On April 24, four Iranian patrol boats approached the U.S.-flagged merchant ship Maersk Kensington, Pentagon spokesman Army Col. Steve Warren said during an April 29 briefing.

The Iranian Embassy in Denmark has reportedly said that a cargo ship recently impounded the Persian Gulf by Iranian Navy forces will be released if the ship’s operator company settles its overdue debts to an Iranian plaintiff. “Iranian authorities reiterate that there has been absolutely no political or security intentions or considerations behind the incident,” read a statement by the Iranian Embassy on Thursday, AFP reported. "The seizure of the ship was solely an enforcement of a judicial court ruling resulting from a commercial dispute between two private parties," it added. "Naturally the ship will be released after settlements of debts by Maersk Line and will be allowed to sail to its final destination," stated the Embassy of Iran in Copenhagen on its website.

U.S. Navy ships started accompanying U.S.-flagged commercial vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, seeking to ensure freedom of navigation two days after Iran seized a cargo ship, U.S. defense officials said. The officials, speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity, described the decision as incremental, saying it was a precautionary move expected to be for a limited time involving Navy ships already deployed to the area. They also stressed that the Navy would not be "escorting" ships, which would involve moving in much closer proximity. One noted the Navy ships would be in communication with the U.S.-flagged vessels and somewhat nearby but not necessarily closely trailing them.

Rickmers Group reports that a representative of its company today has been allowed to board the seized container vessel Maersk Tigris, following an urgent request to Iranian authorities. The seized ship, managed by Rickmers Shipmanagement (Singapore), has a crew of 24 seafarers. The Rickmers representative has been able to establish that all seafarers are safe and on board the vessel. Given the current circumstances they are all in a good condition, the ship’s manager said. Maersk Tigris was seized by the Iranian Navy on Tuesday April 28 and has since been under control of the authorities. Iranian officials said the seizure is related to a cargo dispute with Maersk Line, the charterers of the vessel, which dates back to 2005.

Iran's embassy in Denmark said the Maersk Tigris vessel that Iranian forces seized on Tuesday would only be released once the Danish shipping company settled debts in a long-running dispute over cargo. The statement, which was dated April 29 but posted on Thursday, asserts that the Maersk Tigris vessel is owned by Maersk and that it had been apprehended in Iranian waters - two points the shipping company denies. (Reporting by Sabina Zawadzki)

Denmark's Maersk shipping said on Thursday it insisted on the release of a vessel and crew seized by Iran, adding it assumed the incident was related to a 2005 court case over uncollected cargo. The Marshall-Islands flagged Maersk Tigris container ship was detained by Iranian forces in the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, spurring the United States to send military vessels to monitor the situation. Maersk had chartered the ship, which is owned by undisclosed private investors. The firm met with Iran's Ports and Maritime Organization on Wednesday and said the company "must presume" the seizure was related to the long-running cargo dispute. "We have however not received any written or formal confirmation that the seizure and the cargo case are connected," the company said in a statement.

The White House said on Wednesday it was concerned about the impact on navigation caused by Iranian authorities' seizure of the Maersk Tigris container ship in the Strait of Hormuz and said it was monitoring the situation.   White House spokesman Josh Earnest said no injuries had been reported from the ship and that the ship remained in the custody of Iran as of this morning.     (Reporting by Susan Heavey and Jeff Mason; Editing by Sandra Maler)

Iran's foreign minister told an audience in New York City on Wednesday that Tehran respects freedom of navigation in the Gulf, a day after Iranian patrol boats seized a Danish container ship in one of the world's busiest oil shipping lanes. "The Persian Gulf is our lifeline ... We will respect international navigation," Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said during a discussion hosted by the New York University Center on International Cooperation and the think tank New America. Danish shipping company Maersk said the crew of the Maersk Tigris was safe and "in good spirits." Iranian authorities seized the vessel in the Straight of Hormuz on Tuesday, spurring the United States to send military vessels to monitor the situation.

Officials from the United States and the Marshall Islands are discussing "the way ahead" after Iranian patrol boats forcibly diverted a cargo ship flying a Marshall Islands flag into an anchorage in Iranian waters, the Pentagon said on Wednesday. A U.S. Navy destroyer, the Farragut, and three coastal patrol ships, the Thunderbolt, Firebolt and Typhoon, were operating in the vicinity of the Strait of Hormuz conducting maritime security operations following the detention of the cargo ship, the MV Maersk Tigris, the Pentagon said. Army Colonel Steve Warren, a Pentagon spokesman, said U.S. forces also had reconnaissance aircraft in the area to monitor developments with the Maersk Tigris…

Maersk said on Wednesday Iranian authorities had told it the Maersk Tigris vessel had been seized over an unresolved claim, but as it had not received any documents it could not confirm this had been the reason for Iran's actions. Iranian patrol boats on Tuesday fired warning shots as they intercepted the vessel in one of the world's busiest oil shipping lanes, spurring the United States to send military vessels to monitor the situation. "They (Iranian authorities) informed us that the seizure of Maersk Tigris is related to an allegedly unresolved cargo claim," Maersk said in a statement. "We have however not received any written notification or similar pertaining to the claim or the seizure of the vessel.

Danish shipping company Maersk said on Wednesday the crew of the Maersk Tigris container ship were safe and "in good spirits" after Iranian authorities seized the vessel in the Strait of Hormuz the previous day. Iranian patrol boats fired warning shots as they intercepted the vessel, stoking tensions in one of the world's busiest oil shipping lanes and spurring the United States to send military vessels to monitor the situation. The 65,000-tonne, Marshall Islands-flagged Maersk Tigris is managed and crewed by Rickmers Shipmanagement but on hire to Maersk Line, the shipping unit of Maersk, the world's largest container shipping concern.

Rickmers Shipmanagement, managers of containership Maersk Tigris, which was yesterday approached, fired upon and boarded by the Iranian Navy in the Persian Gulf, issued a statement addressing the incident. Rickmers Shipmanagement said it informed relevant international authorities immediately after being attended, adding that it takes its responsibilities as an international shipping line very seriously, complying with all applicable laws and regulations and ensuring that employees are aware of those laws relevant to their roles. The ship’s manager is liaising with the relevant international authorities, and continues to monitor the vessel's position at the same time seeking communications with the crew.