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Maersk Tigris crew describe ordeal after ship released by Iran
TIN news: Iran released the Marshal Island-flagged cargo ship Maersk Tigris on Thursday, with the ship having arrived at her original destination Dubai Friday evening, but reports have emerged that the crew were held captive under armed guard.
Speaking to Cruise Arabia Africa, a crew member, who asked for anonymity, described the ship’s port arrest in Iran for a week as an “ordeal” and said the Iranian security officials who forcibly boarded the ship in international waters acted like “pirates”.
The crew member said that the guards remained onboard the ship for the entire week and kept the crew under “armed guard”, much like Somali pirates.
Maersk Tigris was fired at before being seized by Iranian patrol boats on April 28th, she was taken to Bandar Abbas and held for a week over what Iran described as a commercial dispute between Maersk Line and an Iranian company.
The United States and Denmark condemned the seizure of the ship as illegal and the US Navy implemented a policy of accompanying American and British ships through the Strait of Hormuz.
That mission has since been suspended following the release of Maersk Tigris.
The Pentagon said in a statement following the seizure of the ship last week that intelligence suggested it has been boarded and commandeered by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.
The Maersk incident occurred amid heightened tension between regional rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia over the civil war in Yemen.
The two countries support opposing sides and security analysts have suggested the seizure of Tigris may have been carried out by the domestically powerful Revolutionary Guard, without the consent of the Iranian government.
Maersk, the world’s largest container shipping company, has yet to comment on the release of Tigris.
Speaking to Cruise Arabia Africa, a crew member, who asked for anonymity, described the ship’s port arrest in Iran for a week as an “ordeal” and said the Iranian security officials who forcibly boarded the ship in international waters acted like “pirates”.
The crew member said that the guards remained onboard the ship for the entire week and kept the crew under “armed guard”, much like Somali pirates.
Maersk Tigris was fired at before being seized by Iranian patrol boats on April 28th, she was taken to Bandar Abbas and held for a week over what Iran described as a commercial dispute between Maersk Line and an Iranian company.
The United States and Denmark condemned the seizure of the ship as illegal and the US Navy implemented a policy of accompanying American and British ships through the Strait of Hormuz.
That mission has since been suspended following the release of Maersk Tigris.
The Pentagon said in a statement following the seizure of the ship last week that intelligence suggested it has been boarded and commandeered by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.
The Maersk incident occurred amid heightened tension between regional rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia over the civil war in Yemen.
The two countries support opposing sides and security analysts have suggested the seizure of Tigris may have been carried out by the domestically powerful Revolutionary Guard, without the consent of the Iranian government.
Maersk, the world’s largest container shipping company, has yet to comment on the release of Tigris.