Maersk Tigris seized in Iran. BBC graphic.
Iran’s seizure of a container ship this week stems from a decade-long dispute over 10 shipping containers, officials at Maersk, the Danish shipping giant, said on Thursday.
The United States sent a destroyer to the Persian Gulf on Tuesday in response to the seizure. On Thursday, Col. Steve Warren, a Pentagon spokesman, said “American naval forces will continue to monitor the situation.”
Maersk officials said in a statement on Thursday that the ship had been stopped because of a dispute over 10 containers that were shipped from Iran to the United Arab Emirates in 2005. The 10 containers, which were sent by an Iranian company, were never picked up. After 90 days, “the cargo was disposed of” by local government authorities in line with local law, Maersk said.