Media: "Floating armoury" ship seized by Iran near UAE

A vessel was seized off the coast of the United Arab Emirates near the Strait of Hormuz on the morning of May 14, according to the British military’s maritime monitoring service.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said the ship was boarded by “unauthorised personnel” while it was located approximately 38 nautical miles northeast of the UAE’s oil export terminal in Fujairah. The agency later reported that the vessel appeared to be heading toward Iranian territorial waters following the incident, Fox News reports.

British authorities have not disclosed the identity of the vessel’s owner or the group responsible for the boarding. However, the BBC reported, citing maritime risk-management firm Vanguard, that the Honduras-flagged Hui Chuan may have been involved. The ship’s operators described it as functioning as a “floating armoury” intended to support vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz in defending against piracy threats.

The incident comes amid a series of maritime seizures in the strategically vital waterway. At least two other ships have been detained in the Strait since February. In April, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) seized the Panamanian-flagged vessels MSC Francesca and Epaminondes, further heightening concerns over security in one of the world’s most critical energy transit routes.

By Sabina Mammadli