MAERSK CONTAINERSHIP SIEZED BY IRANIAN FORCES

Maritime Insight| April 28, 2015

A Maersk containership was seized Tuesday by Iranian forces as it travelled through the Strait of Hormuz in Iranian territorial waters, the U.S. Pentagon has confirmed.

The ship has been identified as the Marshall Islands-flagged containership MV Maersk Tigris, which is managed by Rickmers Shipmanagement and on time charter to Maersk Line.

Earlier reports that the ship was U.S. flagged and carrying 34 U.S. citizens have been discredited.

According to Pentagon spokesman Col. Steve Warren, Iranian patrol vessels approached the Maersk Tigris Tuesday as it entered the Strait of Hormuz and ordered the cargo ship deeper into Iranian waters. When the Master declined, one of the patrol boats then fired shots across the ships bow. At some point, the Maersk Tigris issued a distress call which was picked up by U.S. forces in the area.

The U.S. Navy destroyer USS Farragut and an aircraft have been directed to the area.

The MV Maersk Tigris was headed for Jebel Ali, UAE from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia when the incident occurred. AIS data shows the ship underway near the Iranian coast towards Bandar Abbas as of 10:51 a.m. EDT.