News / Politics

Marshall Islands-flagged ship seized on financial grounds: Iran plaintiff

Sunday, 03 May 2015 7:22 AM [ Last Update: Sunday, 03 May 2015 7:23 AM ]

Speedboats of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) are seen during major drills in the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf code-named the Great Prophet 9 on February 25, 2015.

The case of a Marshall Islands-flagged cargo ship recently impounded in the Persian Gulf by Iranian forces is purely financial, says the Iranian oil company that has filed a lawsuit in the matter.

Hamid Reza Jahanian, the managing director of the Pars Talayieh oil product company, told Fars news agency on Saturday that attempts are being made to politicize the matter, adding that the true reason behind the seizure was the damages inflicted upon the Iranian company by the Maersk Line container shipping company, which is part of the Maersk Group headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark.

On April 28, Iranian forces boarded the Maersk Tigris ship carrying the Marshall Islands flag in the Strait of Hormuz, after the vessel, with 34 crew members aboard, reportedly trespassed on Iranian territorial waters.

Jahanian said the case dates back to 2003 when Maersk was responsible for the transport of containers sent by Pars Talayieh to the port of Jebel Ali, the United Arab Emirates, but the cargo was not delivered to the customer.

If Maersk Line pays damages to the Iranian company, Jahanian stated, the ship will be released, otherwise the vessel or the goods it transports will be put up for auction.

Maersk Line says it was told by Iran’s Ports and Maritime Organization (PMO) on April 29 that an Iranian court had ordered the company to pay USD 3.6 million (about 3.2 million euros) in compensation in the case.

Since the seizure of the vessel, several Iranian officials have said the case is a purely commercial affair.

A day after the ship was impounded, Iran’s Foreign Ministry defended the move as legal saying the vessel was seized by Iranian Navy forces based on a court decision.

The PMO said on the same day that the seizure of Maersk Tigris was based on a court ruling issued on March 16, which reportedly came after a plaintiff sued the Maersk Line over unpaid debts.

YH/HSN/HMV

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