Denmark Detains Boxship Linked to Iran Questioning Registration

The Danish Maritime Authority confirmed to local media that it has placed a detention order on a shadowy containership until the vessel can prove its registry and certifications. The vessel was sanctioned in July 2025 by the United States as part of a network including more than 50 vessels that the U.S. said were part of the vast shipping empire controlled by Mohammad Hossein Shamkhani, the son of Ali Shamkhani, a top political advisor to the Supreme Leader of Iran.

When the U.S. sanctioned the vessel, which at that point was identified as Cerus, the report said it was registered in St. Kitts and Nevis. In October 2025, the ship changed names to Nora and falsely claimed it was registered in Aruba and two months later in Comoros.

Built in 2003, the ship is 37,100 dwt with ownership listed in Dubai. Bureau Veritas lists that it withdrew the ship’s class certification in August 2025 for “non-compliance with conditions of class/recommendations.” Equasis lists its last known inspection in 2022.

Denmark’s TV 2 reports the vessel had gone dark while it was in St. Petersburg, Russia, in mid-January and then sailed west into the Baltic and reached Skagen, where it stopped on January 22. The following day, it anchored less than 20 miles east of Aalbaek, Denmark, where it has remained for the past 28 days.

A Danish patrol ship was spotted near the vessel along with a Danish Armed Forces sea drone. The Danish Maritime Authority reports it questioned the vessel’s registry in Comoros and was informed by the authorities that the ship was “not correctly registered.” Apparently, when they questioned the vessel further, it suddenly raised an Iranian flag, prompting the detention.

The Danish Maritime Authority told TV 2 in a statement, “The ship has been detained until a flag state proves to the Danish Maritime Authority that the ship is registered and fully certified.” In addition, Denmark said it plans to conduct a port state inspection on the vessel when weather conditions permit.

TV 2 reports that the Cerus/Nora has passed through Danish waters at least 10 times in the past year as part of frequent trips to Saint Petersburg. They report each time the vessel has stopped sending position data as it approached Russia.

The U.S. asserted last year that the fleet of ships controlled by Hossein was transporting oil and petroleum products from Iran and Russia, as well as other cargo, to buyers around the world, generating tens of billions of dollars in profit. The Treasury Department linked the containership to a company called Reel Shipping, which it said controlled six additional ships.