IRGC Navy Says Container Carrier Sinks After Striking Naval Mine in Strait of Hormuz

Mine Strike and Sinking

The Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy said a container carrier struck a naval mine in the Strait of Hormuz, caught fire, and sank Wednesday morning in waters south of the strait.

The IRGC Navy said the vessel had attempted to cross an unauthorized and high-risk route through the strait when it hit the mine and caught a severe fire after the explosion.

MNA TEHRAN, Oct. 14 (MNA) said the container carrier vessel was carrying more than 2,500 containers and sank in the southern waters of the Strait of Hormuz after hitting a naval mine and catching fire.

The IRGC Navy cautioned local vessels and fishermen over colliding with containers floating on the water's surface while transiting the area.

The IRGC Navy said the vessel sank in the southern waters of the Strait of Hormuz as a result of the fire.

Reporting for this sectionMehr News AgencyNews18

Warnings and Unconfirmed Details

The IRGC Navy urged local vessels and fishermen to take care and avoid floating containers in the affected waters after the container ship sank south of the Strait of Hormuz. The IRGC Navy said the ship attempted to transit an unauthorised and dangerous route, and the statement did not identify the ship or provide further details about its voyage. The IRGC Navy did not disclose information about the ship’s crew or confirm whether there were any casualties, and it also did not provide details about the vessel’s ownership or the exact circumstances surrounding the sinking.

The Oman Observer said the ship carrying more than 2,500 containers had attempted to transit what the Guards described as an unauthorised and dangerous route, and it said the Guards warned local vessels and fishermen to take care. The Independent said UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) received a report of an incident where a container ship was struck by an unknown projectile, while it said it was currently unclear whether the two incidents are linked.

Reporting for this sectionNews18The Independent

Regional Shipping Stakes

The IRGC Navy framed the incident as part of heightened maritime security concerns around the Strait of Hormuz, a vital international shipping route connecting the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman. The IRGC Navy warned that any cooperation by commercial vessels and oil tankers with US forces in the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf would face a decisive response. The IRGC Navy said a third crude oil supertanker was struck and engulfed in flames in the Strait of Hormuz in the morning after ignoring warnings and switching off its navigation system, and it said it was the third tanker to be hit in two days.

The IRGC Navy said on Sunday that a violating crude oil supertanker struck a naval mine in the southern part of the Strait of Hormuz, triggering an explosion and a fire in its engine room. The IRGC Navy said Tehran has restricted transit through the Strait of Hormuz since the early days of the US-Israeli war of aggression that began on February 28 and came to a halt under a ceasefire in early April.

Reporting for this sectionخبرگزاری بین المللی قدس