Danish Authorities Detain Iran-Flagged Container Ship Over Registration Concerns

Danish authorities have detained an Iran-flagged container vessel after questions emerged about its registration status.

The Danish Maritime Authority confirmed that the ship, now operating under the name Nora, was held in Danish waters because it was not properly registered.

The vessel had declared it was sailing under the flag of Comoros. However, authorities in Comoros informed Denmark that the ship was not listed in their registry.

Danish officials stated that the vessel would remain detained until a flag state demonstrates that it is correctly registered and fully certified.

A port state inspection has since been carried out, and no significant safety deficiencies were found.

The ship is currently anchored east of Aalbaek in northern Jutland, in the Kattegat strait. It reportedly arrived from Saint Petersburg, having departed on 16 January with Egypt listed as its destination.

Danish media identified the vessel as the Iranian-flagged Nora, formerly known as Cerus.

Data from LSEG shows that the vessel shares the same International Maritime Organisation (IMO) number as the containership CERUS, which is on the US Treasury’s sanctions list.

IMO numbers remain unchanged regardless of a vessel’s name or flag.

The ship was designated under the US Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) Iran sanctions programme and linked to Argun Shipping Inc. and Reel Shipping LLC.

According to Danish broadcaster TV2, the vessel changed its flag from Comoros to Iran on Wednesday, although Reuters was unable to independently verify the timing of the change.

The vessel has reportedly been idle for between 25 and 28 days.

US authorities sanctioned the vessel in July 2025 as part of a network of more than 50 ships said to be controlled by Mohammad Hossein Shamkhani, the son of Ali Shamkhani, a senior political adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

When sanctioned, the ship was identified as Cerus and registered in St. Kitts and Nevis. In October 2025, it changed its name to Nora and reportedly claimed registration in Aruba and later in Comoros.

The 37,100 dwt container ship, built in 2003, is listed with ownership in Dubai.

Bureau Veritas withdrew the vessel’s class certification in August 2025 due to non-compliance with class conditions and recommendations. Equasis records show its last known inspection took place in 2022.

Danish media reported that the vessel stopped transmitting position data while in Saint Petersburg in mid-January before sailing west into the Baltic Sea and reaching Skagen on 22 January.

The following day it anchored less than 20 miles east of Aalbaek, where it has remained.

The Danish Maritime Authority stated that the detention would continue until Iran confirms that the ship is properly registered and certified.

Authorities also stated that a patrol ship and a Danish Armed Forces sea drone were observed near the vessel during the monitoring process.

US authorities have previously stated that vessels linked to the network controlled by Mohammad Hossein Shamkhani were transporting oil, petroleum products and other cargo from Iran and Russia to buyers worldwide.

The US Treasury Department linked the containership to Reel Shipping, which it said controlled six additional ships.

Reference: Reuters

Source: Maritime Shipping News