A U.S. military helicopter fired on a merchant vessel trying to traverse the United States’s Strait of Hormuz blockade, the first such instance in weeks.
A Navy MH-60 helicopter fired two Hellfire missiles at the Panama-flagged M/V Vela Nova in the predawn hours of Tuesday, disabling its steering gear, according to U.S. Central Command. The strike was carried out after the crew ignored repeated U.S. warnings to halt.
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The missiles hit the engine room, stopping its voyage to Iran, according to CENTCOM.
“As of Aug. 11, CENTCOM has redirected 55 commercial vessels attempting to run the blockade, disabled 3 non-compliant vessels, and boarded 2,” the CENTCOM social media post reads.
After the U.S. strike, the ship appeared to transfer its crew to another ship, a U.S. official told the Wall Street Journal.
The predawn attack was first flagged by the maritime security firm Vanguard, which identified the ship as the Vela Nova, and said it was hit by a missile about 71 nautical miles from the coast of Pakistan.
“The missile struck the vessel, causing a fire that was subsequently extinguished,” an initial report on the incident from the firm read, according to the Wall Street Journal.
All 17 crew members were accounted for, with no reports of casualties.
Attacks against ships trying to escape the blockade were common during the first blockade, which began in April, but have been less common after it was reinstated following the collapse of the memorandum of understanding last month. The last attack on a ship attempting to break the blockade was in July.
The attacks typically involve the precise targeting of the engine room or rudder, disabling the vessel without significant casualties.
IRAN SHIPPED $6 BILLION WORTH OF OIL PRODUCTS BEFORE US BLOCKADE WAS REINSTATED
The naval blockade of Iran has been one of the most effective ways of inflicting crippling economic damage on Iran, as nearly all its oil exports are done by sea. U.S. intelligence originally estimated that Iran could hold out until August when the initial blockade was put into place, but its lifting in June effectively reset the timer.
In the 26 days between the signing of the MOU and the reinstatement of the U.S. blockade, Tehran shipped over 80 million barrels of oil, roughly $6 billion worth, to foreign buyers.
