EMEA News
MSC Ship Boarded by Iranian Forces Near Strait of Hormuz
A container ship has been boarded by Iranian forces near the Strait of Hormuz.
The incident happened 50 nautical miles north-east of Fujairah at about 2:50 AM UTC on Saturday, the UK Maritime Trade Operations agency reported in a social media post.
"Vessel reported to have been seized by regional authorities," the agency said.
"Vessels are advised to transit with caution and report any suspicious activity to UKMTO."
Iranian state news agency IRNA reported that the vessel is the 15,000 TEU boxship MSC Aries, and that it was boarded by IRGC forces because of an ownership link to Israel and was being transferred to Iranian waters.
Vessels have been coming under attack in and around Yemen in recent months in response to the conflict in Gaza, but shipping around the Strait of Hormuz has largely been unaffected. A seizure of a ship by Iran would point to a significant widening of the threat to global shipping from current geopolitical tensions.
