Seatrade-Maritime: US forces strike container ship in Gulf of Oman off Pakistan

Published by Seatrade-Maritime

US Central Command confirmed its forces had disabled the steering gear of the container ship Vela Nova for attempting to transit the Gulf of Oman in violation of its blockade of Iranian ports.

“A US Navy MH-60 helicopter fired two hellfire missiles into the Vela Nova’s engine room after the ship’s civilian crew ignored repeated warnings from American forces. The ship is no longer transiting to Iran in violation of the US blockade, which remains in full effect.”

Maritime security firm Vanguard Tech reported that a Panama-flagged container ship Vela Nova had been struck by a missile fired from a helicopter while transiting westbound through the Gulf of Oman, 71nm off the coast of Pakistan.

AIS tracking data from Pole Star Global shows the Vela Nova to in the Gulf of Oman south of Gwadar, Pakistan and it was “not under command”.

According to Vanguard the 30-year-old container ship suffered a fire following the missile strike which has since been extinguished. The crew of the vessel abandoned ship and all 17 have been accounted for.

The Panama-flagged container ship’s registered owner is listed as Golden Valley Marine Investment in Liberia and operated by Doris Shipping & Trading in Turkey. According to Pole Star Global’s PurpleTrac its beneficial owner is unknown. None of the vessel’s current listed owner/operator/manager appear on any sanctions list.

Charlie Brown, Senior Advisor to United Against a Nuclear Iran (UANI), has been tracking cargo vessels linked to Iran and says that the Vela Nova had been in port alongside other Iran-linked ships.

He told Seatrade Maritime News: “We reported on August 4 that Zyra and Enzo 2 were together at Mumbai, and both vessels have subsequently been associated with Port Klang. Zyra is particularly notable because it changed from the Iranian flag to the false Comoros flag, raising questions about whether such reflagging is being used to obscure its Iranian connections. The reported US disabling and stopping of the Panama-flagged Vela Nova near the blockade line in the Gulf of Oman, after its recent Mumbai port call alongside these vessels, underscores the heightened scrutiny now being applied to Iran-related shipping across the region.”

The UKMTO said in a earlier alert, “Vessels are advised to consider the latest maritime security information and maintain awareness of the evolving operational environment. Authorities are aware and relevant investigations remain ongoing.”