Third Ship Attacked Near Hormuz, Navigation Systems Damaged

Amid escalating tensions in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman, the maritime intelligence firm “Vanguard” announced that a third commercial vessel has been targeted while passing through the Strait of Hormuz in less than 24 hours.

According to the report, the Panama-flagged cargo ship “MSC Francesca” was targeted while sailing approximately 11 nautical miles off the Iranian coast, heading south toward the Strait of Hormuz and the waters of the Gulf of Oman. The company stated that IRGC forces ordered the crew of this vessel to drop anchor. According to Vanguard, the ship reported damage to its hull and crew quarters, though no further details regarding the extent of the damage have been released.

Simultaneously, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported a separate incident approximately 15 nautical miles west of the Iranian coast, stating that a cargo ship departing Iran had been fired upon and brought to a stop in the water. The organization emphasized that all crew members are safe and that no casualties were reported in that incident.

This vessel was the container ship “Epaminondas,” owned by a Greek company. Marine tracking data indicate that this ship was not transmitting its Automatic Identification System (AIS) signal while passing through the Strait of Hormuz. According to published reports, even though the ship’s captain had been informed that it had permission to pass through the Strait, a fast-attack boat belonging to the IRGC approached it and opened fire, causing significant damage to the command bridge and the vessel’s navigation system.

The UKMTO had previously reported an incident 15 nautical miles northeast of Oman, in which the captain of a container ship reported an Iranian military boat approaching and inflicting heavy damage on the ship’s navigation section. However, in that incident as well, no fire or environmental pollution was reported, and the crew remained unharmed.