The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has seized the ship “Epaminonda“ because it was used by the US military, Tasnim news agency reported.
According to the agency, the Liberian-flagged ship has visited US ports multiple times in the past six months and was detained by the Corps “for multiple violations of maritime regulations“.
According to ship tracking service MarineTraffic, the location of the “Epaminonda“ has not been updated for more than two days. The ship was last seen in the Gulf of Oman, west of the Iranian city of Kohestak.
Earlier, the Greek edition Kathimerini reported that the container ship Epaminondas, operated by Danish company Maersk and chartered by Greek shipowner George Jurukos' Technomar group, was fired upon while sailing near Iranian waters.
The Liberian-flagged vessel has a crew of 21 sailors, all of whom are Ukrainian and Philippine nationals. Greece's Ministry of Shipping and Island Policy said the ship had not been hijacked, was stationary off the Iranian coast and was under the command of its captain.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy, for its part, reported the seizure of two ships that "threaten maritime security, do not have the necessary permits and interfere with navigation systems," including “Epaminonda“.