Iran Court Ruling for Auction of Seized Maersk Ship Cargo

Reports indicate that Branch 31 of the Civil Court in Iran has issued a ruling for the unloading and auctioning of the cargo of the seized Maersk ship in the Persian Gulf, based on the debts of the Maersk International Company to the Iranian government. According to a report on May 5, the private plaintiff in this case stated: "Judge Malekouti ruled that the cargo of the Maersk shipping line vessel, which is docked at Abadan port, should be unloaded and their assets auctioned to cover the debts of Maersk and the government." Hamidreza Jahaniyan, CEO of Pars Talayieh Company, added: "According to the court ruling, in addition to Maersk's debt to Pars Talayieh, Maersk also owes five billion rials to the government as a penalty, which will be collected through the auction of goods." Iranian officials have stated that this issue is resolvable and may be settled in the coming days. Marzieh Afkham, spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, stated: "The 34 crew members of the ship are free and are benefiting from consular assistance." According to Reuters, a spokesperson for Rickmers stated that the crew has been instructed not to leave the ship under any circumstances. Rickmers, which has an interest in this ship, claims that Maersk has chartered the vessel. The Danish company Maersk emphasized that it is not the owner of the ship and that its crew is not employed by 'Maersk Line'. Therefore, the responsibility for cargo disputes does not lie with this company. Iran stated that the reason for the seizure of the 'Maersk Tigris' and the detention of its crew was legal disputes that a court in Iran ruled on in March. The seized ship, flying the Marshall Islands flag, was en route from Jeddah to the United Arab Emirates. The Iranian Navy seized this cargo ship in the Persian Gulf on May 8. In related news, the Pentagon reported that the IRGC created 'disturbance' for another ship last week, and Iran demanded $3.6 million from Maersk. The U.S. is protecting its flagged vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, and the U.S. fleet has begun accompanying British ships in the Strait of Hormuz.