A cargo ship seized by Iranian patrol boats last month has been released with all its crew in good condition, the vessel's operator said Thursday.
Iran said it apprehended the Marshall Islands-flagged Maersk Tigris in the Strait of Hormuz on April 28 because of a years-old debt owed by Maersk.
Its operator, Rickmers Shipmanagement, said in a statement Thursday that the ship was released following an order from a court in Bandar Abbas, the Iranian port where it was being held.
"Earlier Maersk Line put up a security in relation to the underlying court case," it said in a statement. "All crew are in a good condition."
The firm said it was "delighted that the vessel is no longer held under Iranian control and its valued seafarers are able to resume their normal life and continue their voyage."
The ship's seizure prompted the Pentagon to authorize the U.S. Navy to accompany all U.S.-flagged ships through the Strait of Hormuz into and out of the Persian Gulf.
