For the first time since April 7, ships in the Strait of Hormuz have reported damage, with the Royal Navy's Merchant Marine Operations (UKMTO) confirming three such reports from vessels.
Earlier, a spokesman for the Central Command of the Iranian Armed Forces announced that the Islamic Republic's armed forces had regained control of the Strait of Hormuz amid the US blockade. At that time, approximately 30 merchant ships were in the strait. They were attempting to pass through the Strait of Hormuz after the Islamic Republic declared it open to free shipping on the evening of April 17.
UKMTO said it had received a report of damage from the crew of a tanker passing through the Strait of Hormuz, about 37km off the coast of Oman. The UKMTO statement said the vessel was “attacked by two gunboats – small gunboats – of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.”
The second incident involved a container ship also passing through the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Oman. The ship was hit by a shell.
The third incident involved a cruise ship, which reported “water splashing in the immediate vicinity of the ship“.
According to TASS, four ships were transiting the Strait of Hormuz at the time: Mein Schiff 4, Mein Schiff 5, MSC Euribia and Celestyal Journey.
As of 17:20 Bulgarian time, only the Celestyal Journey was known to be in transit. Information about the other three ships was last received around 15:00 Bulgarian time. At the time, they were exiting the Strait of Hormuz, approximately at the location indicated by the UKMTO as the location of the incident with the cruise ship.
Since the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East, more than 20 commercial vessels have reported damage in the Strait of Hormuz - including 11 tankers, 4 container ships, 3 bulk carriers, 2 barges, a jack-up rig and a tugboat.
Ten sailors have been confirmed dead in these incidents. Iranian authorities have provided the International Maritime Organization with information on 54 "maritime security violations" in the country's territorial waters in March, in which 20 people were killed and 22 injured. The incidents involved eight passenger ships, eight tugboats, six private and fishing vessels, five merchant ships, and three rescue vessels.
On April 7, U.S. President Donald Trump announced a two-week bilateral ceasefire with Iran. Following talks between the U.S. and Iran on April 11, U.S. Central Command announced that it would begin a naval blockade of Iran on April 13, preventing the movement of all vessels heading to ports in the Islamic Republic or attempting to sail from its shores.