On Wednesday (April 22), three cargo ships were attacked by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard in the Strait of Hormuz, and Iran claimed to have detained two of the ships. The Greek Foreign Minister stated that a Greek-owned cargo ship was attacked by Iran, but it has not been confirmed whether it has been seized by Iran.
Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reported that the Revolutionary Guard detained two ships for violating maritime rules and sent them to the Iranian coast. This is the first time Iran has seized ships since the outbreak of the war at the end of February.
Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis later stated that a ship related to Greece was attacked near the Strait of Hormuz, but it is currently unclear whether the ship has been seized by Iran.
Gerapetritis told CNN earlier on Wednesday, “I can confirm that this Greek cargo ship was attacked, but I cannot confirm whether it has been seized by Iran.”
He described the situation as “quite unsettling” and urged all Greek-flagged ships to avoid passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
Gerapetritis added, “This is a ship flying the flag of Liberia but Greek-owned, that was attempting to sail out of the Strait of Hormuz at the time. We have issued a full notice to all Greek-flagged vessels, urging them to exercise extreme caution, show maximum restraint, and avoid crossing that strait.”
The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) stated earlier on Wednesday that at least three container ships reported being fired upon in the Strait of Hormuz.
The Greek-owned cargo ship “Epaminondas,” flying the flag of Liberia, last sent a location signal on April 18 in the Persian Gulf. According to data from the vessel tracking website MarineTraffic, the ship then turned off its transponder and reappeared in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday morning. According to the UKMTO, the ship’s bridge was heavily damaged after the attack, and the captain reported that there was no radio contact with the attackers before the incident.
Sources told The Wall Street Journal that the container ship “Euphoria” was attacked near the Iranian coast in the Strait of Hormuz. The UK Maritime Trade Organization stated that a vessel was attacked 8 nautical miles west of the Iranian coast, anchored on the water after the attack, with no casualties among the crew and no damage to the ship.
UKMTO reported that the captain of one ship said that on Wednesday, while in the northeastern waters of Oman, an Iranian patrol boat approached the vessel. Subsequently, the ship was attacked by gunfire and rockets, with the bridge severely damaged, but no reports of casualties or environmental damage.
According to sources, the container ship “Francesca,” belonging to a Mediterranean shipping company based in Geneva, was attacked while waiting to enter the Gulf of Oman, been stranded in the Persian Gulf since April 16.
UKMTO stated that since the outbreak of the war on February 28, they have received 22 reports of ship attacks in the Arabian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz, and the Gulf of Oman. Two attacks occurred in the past day.