Estonian resident on ship seized by Iran released

The Estonian resident who was on board the MSC Aries, the ship seized by Iran in the Strait of Hormuz on April 13, was released on Thursday. Photo: VIDEO OBTAINED BY REUTERS / Scanpix

The Estonian resident who was on board the MSC Aries, the ship seized by Iran in the Strait of Hormuz on April 13, was released on Thursday, the Estonian Foreign Ministry said in a press release.

He is on his way to Estonia and his family has been told the good news.

Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said efforts to secure the resident's release lasted nearly four weeks.

«I would like to thank all Estonian diplomats and our partners who did not keep track of their hours while working to secure the release of the Estonian resident these past weeks,» the minister said.

The foreign minister added that Estonia is concerned over the remaining crew members and calls on Iran to immediately release both the ship and its remaining crew.

The release of the Estonian resident was achieved thanks to close cooperation with partners and direct communication with the authorities of Iran and the shipping company.

The Estonian minister recently spoke on the phone with both Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and the president of MSC Group, Diego Aponte. Estonia's honorary consul in Tehran met with the Estonian resident on board the ship, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was in close communication with the Iranian embassy in Helsinki, and Iran's charge d'affaires was summoned in connection with the seizure of the ship.

Portugal also greatly contributed to the release of crew members of the Portugal-flagged ship, which is why the Estonian embassy in Lisbon communicated closely with the Foreign Ministry of Portugal.