Tehran, Iran, May 13
By Mehdi Sepahvand - Trend:
Iran's plea against Maersk Line shipping company is not closed since the debt the company owes Iran is not paid.
Iran is going to arrest more Maersk ships if the company does not pay the debt, Fars news agency reported May 13.
On April 28 Iranian forces boarded a Marshall Islands-flagged cargo vessel after firing warning shots across the bridge and later took it to Bandar Abbas, the main port of Iran 's navy, under escort by Iranian patrol boats. Tehran said it arrested the ship because of debt.
Iran released the cargo vessel on May 7 after it received a written commitment from Maersk's agent in the country.
The arrested ship did not belong to Maersk but the load was being carried for that company.
Now Iran says the case is not closed and it could arrest more Maersk ships if the company does not pay the debt.
Reports say that five to six ships per day travel via Iranian waters in the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman.
It was earlier reported that an Iranian court ordered selling the ship in order to pay $10 million compensation to Iranian Pars Talaeyeh Oil Products Company. Hamid Reza Jahanian, the managing director of the company said May 6 that the ship and its cargo would be sold unless the Danish shipping company pays $10 million in losses that his company has suffered.
Edited by CN