The Iranian authorities have decided to free the crew of Maersk Tigris cargo ship, which was captured last week by the Iranian navy in the Strait of Hormuz. A spokeswoman for the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs made the announcement on Wednesday, May 6, according to Le Figaro.

The ship was commissioned by Danish conglomerate Maersk and was registered in the Marshall Islands, which are under U.S. protection. Iran seized the ship on April 28 based on an alleged court decision in favor of an Iranian company, Mediafax reports. The Iranian authorities said the ship's seizure was due to judicial reasons, not political or military.

The Maersk Tigris had a crew of 24, of which four were Romanian citizens. The other crew members came from Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Bulgaria, Russia, Ukraine, Poland and UK.

editor@romania-insider.com