Cerus

The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has asked the Danish authorities to search the 'Nora', which has been detained since Feb 19 and has been berthed at Kalundborg, after the authorities had discovered that the Comoros were completely unaware of the ship, which was at anchor in Ålbæk Bay at the time. It changed to the Iranian flag and was forced into the Port of Aarhus at the beginning of March by the National Unit for Serious Crime (NSK) to be searched. On March 18, the 'Nora' left Aarhus and arrived later that day in 'Kalundborg', where it has since been investigated by Danish authorities. A police commissioner at NSK, the Danish police's special crime unit, informed the search team at morning meetings before Easter that the FBI had requested the search. The meetings in Kalundborg were attended by police officers, port employees and specialists from the Chemical Emergency Response Service. The ship is being searched inch by inch, and the containers on board are being scanned one by one. The container ship is subject to sanctions from both the US and Ukraine. The Americans believed that the ship is part of an Iranian shadow fleet owned by a person with close ties to the clerical regime. The Ukrainians believe that the ship is sailing with weapons, and has been used to transport stolen assets from the Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine abroad. Weapons were regarded as a good guess at what the authorities are looking for.

Four weeks after being stopped under suspicion of not being correctly registered by the Danish authorities, the ship entered Kalundborg on March 18, accompanied by a Danish patrol boat and two tugs, after having been searched and undergoing a Port State inspection. The Danish Maritime Authority reported that the vessel stated it was under the Comoros as its flag State. The Comoros, however, informed the Danish Maritime Authority that the ship was not registered in its registry. On Feb 15, the ship’s registered owners were suddenly changed to a company in Iran, and it declared it had been sailing under the Iranian flag since Feb 1. The ship had previously, in 2025, also claimed to be registered in Aruba, which was believed to be another false flag. The ship remained detained until a flag state provides documentation to the Danish Maritime Authority that the ship is registered and fully certified. The PSC on Feb 19 was the first recorded since 2022. However, no significant safety deficiencies were found, but the ship was still not fully certified, and the detention was therefore being maintained. On March 5, it was moved into the port of Aarhus and searched by the authorities. On March 9, the 'Nora' was moved to an anchorage off Aarhus, before going on the move again on March 18 at midday. The National Special Crime Unit (NSK) reported an ongoing police operation associated with the ship. Until Oct 2025, it was sailing under the name 'Cerus'. In addition to not having a registered inspection since 2022, the vessel’s classification was withdrawn in August 2025 by Bureau Veritas for “Non-compliance with conditions of class / recommendations.” The ship called at the Russian port St. Petersburg on several occasions in the recent past.

The Iranian-flagged 'Nora', which had been detained in the container port of Aarhus since March 6, to be searched by the National Unit for Serious Crime, has left the port on March 9. The container ship, which changed its name to 'Nora' a few months ago, anchored in the Bay of Aarhus on the morning of March 11 in pos. 56° 0 N 010° 22 E. The ship came into the spotlight of the Danish Maritime Authority about six weeks ago due to suspicions that the ship had provided incorrect information about its flag state. At that time, the ship was anchored off Aalbæk, at that time under the Comorian flag. However, when the Danish Maritime Authority contacted the ship registry in the Comoros, it turned out that the ship was not registered in the African island state. Subsequently, the ship, which is subject to sanctions from the US and Ukraine, changed to the Iranian flag. The Danish Maritime Authority detained the ship until a flag state documented that it was registered and certified with them. Whether the departure from the Port of Aarhus meant that the documentation is now in place has not been stated. The ship, which until a few months ago was called 'Cerus', has changed owner and flag state several times since it was built in Japan in 2003.

The Danish police intend to inspect the 'Nira'. Investigators confirmed the ship's origin, but have not yet commented on the reasons for the planned search. The ship left its anchorage in the Kattegat on March 5 at 10 a.m. and berthed in the port of Aarhus at 8 p.m., and it will be searched at the APM Container Terminal. The Danish Maritime Authority detained the ship, which was coming from the Russian port St. Petersburg, in February, and since then, it has been anchored in the northern Kattegat. The ship was sailing under the flag of the Comoros, even though it was registered as an Iranian vessel. According to the US Treasury Department, the ship is subject to international sanctions and is connected to the shipping company Reel Shipping LLC,. This company, in turn, is controlled by Mohammad Hossein Shamkhani, whose father was a close advisor to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Both Shamkhani's father and Khamenei were killed in the US and Israeli attacks on Iran at the end of February.

The Danish Maritime Authority has decided to detain the 'Nora', which has been anchored east of Aalbæk, coming from Basrah, in pos. 57° 36' N 010° 55' E since Jan 23, 2026. The Authority believed that the ship has provided incorrect information about its flag state. 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. On Jan 23, it anchored less than 20 miles east of Aalbæk, 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. When the ship dropped anchor,, it did so under the Comorian flag. However, when the Danish Maritime Authority contacted the ship registry in the Comoros, it turned out that the ship was not registered in the African island state. On Feb 11, the ship changed flag agaiin and was now reportedly sailing under the Iranian flag. The Danish Maritime Authority had detained the ship until a flag state has documented that it the 'Nora' hsd nrrm registered and certified with them. In addition, the Danish Maritime Authority planned to carry out a port state inspection on board as soon as weather conditions permitted. The 'Nora' was called 'Cerus' until a few months ago, and is subject to sanctions from both the US and Ukraine. The Americans were believing that the ship was part of an Iranian shadow fleet owned by Mohammad Hossein Shamkhani, who is the son of one of the clerical regime's top advisors. The Ukrainians was believing that the ship is sailing with weapons and has been used to transport stolen assets from the Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine abroad. The container ship has changed owners and flag states several times since it was built in Japan in 2003. Something was indicating that the ship, regardless of name and flag state, has been Iranian-controlled in recent years, with Iranian officers, which rarely happens without the ship being Iranian-controlled. The 'Cerus' had passed through Danish waters at least 10 times in 2025, as part of frequent trips to St. Petersburg. Each time the vessel has stopped sending position data as it approached Russian waters. The 'Nora' remained stationary as of Feb 23.