NEW DELHI: The shipping ministry on Wednesday dismissed online reports alleging that the captain of Indian-flagged ship, Sanmar Herald, paid cash or cryptocurrency to Iran to secure safe passagethrough Strait of Hormuz, calling it “fake news”. In an official statement, Sanmar Shipping Ltd called the reports “completely false”.Sanmar Herald was one of two Indian vessels that had to turn back from the Strait of Hormuz after Iranian forces fired upon them on April 18.
“We spoke with the owner of the vessel and he confirmed that it is fake news… None of our ships made any payment, till date,” said Mukesh Mangal, additional secretary in the shipping ministry.