Danish maritime authorities have detained a container ship anchored in national waters after determining it was not properly registered, officials said Thursday.
According to Denmark’s maritime administration, the vessel, currently sailing under the Iranian flag, was held after authorities were informed that it did not appear in the official registry of the Comoros, whose flag it had previously flown.
Shipping data from the London Stock Exchange Group shows the container ship is operating under the name Nora. Danish officials said Comoros notified Copenhagen that it could not locate the vessel in its national registry.
Authorities stated that the ship will remain detained until the flag state provides documentation proving that it is fully registered and authorized. A safety inspection will also be conducted before the vessel is cleared to depart, pending suitable weather conditions.
Shipping records indicate that Nora recently changed its flag from Comoros to Iran. Danish broadcaster TV 2 reported that the flag change occurred Wednesday, although the timing could not be independently verified.
Further data shows that Nora shares the same International Maritime Organization number as a vessel formerly known as Cyrus, which appears on the sanctions list of the US Department of the Treasury under its Iran sanctions program. IMO numbers serve as permanent identifiers for ships and remain unchanged regardless of name or flag modifications.
Cyrus was listed under sanctions administered by the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control and has been linked to shipping companies Arjun Shipping and Reel Shipping. Attempts to obtain comment from those companies were unsuccessful.
TV 2 reported that the vessel had remained idle for approximately 25 days prior to its detention.
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