Iran

Maersk ship seized by Iran “will be sold”

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Iran’s media say a commercial ship that was seized in Persian Gulf waters last week over a legal dispute between a local company and the Danish shipping line Maersk will be sold.

The announcement has been made by Hamid-Reza Jahanian, the managing director of Pars Tala’eyeh Oil Products Company which is involved in the legal row with Maersk.

Jahanian has emphasized that the ship and its cargo will be sold unless the Danish shipping company pays $10 million in losses that his company has suffered.

He has been quoted by MANA news agency as saying that the ship will be released “upon the payment of the amount.”

The report added that meetings between Maersk and officials from Iran’s Ports and Maritime Organization have failed to make any significant progress to resolve the case. A separate meeting, it said, between the Danish ambassador to Tehran and officials from the Iranian Foreign Ministry had also made little progress.

Meanwhile, MANA says, Maersk officials have demanded to see the court documents by means of which the ship has been seized.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry announced earlier that the MV Maersk Tigris – which was sailing with the flag of Marshal Islands last Tuesday – had been seized in Persian Gulf waters upon an order by a court in Tehran. This, it said, followed a lawsuit filed by Pars Tala’eyeh over a financial dispute with Maersk.

The ministry added that the crew of the ship – mostly East Europeans and Asians – are in good condition, adding that the ship will be free to go once its row with the Iranian company is resolved.

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