US Military Opens Fire to Intercept Intruding Ship, Crew Possibly Transferred After Cargo Ship Attack

BlockBeats News, August 11th, according to The Wall Street Journal, a U.S. official stated that the U.S. military fired on a Panamanian-flagged vessel early Tuesday morning as it attempted to break through a U.S. blockade of an Iranian port.

The official said a U.S. military helicopter fired on the ship's wheelhouse after the crew ignored warnings from U.S. personnel conducting a maritime mission to enforce the blockade of the Iranian port. The incident occurred before dawn on Tuesday, and there are currently no reports of casualties. The U.S. official stated that after the attack, the vessel appeared to be attempting to transfer crew members to another civilian ship.

Earlier on Tuesday, maritime security firm Vanguard reported that a Panamanian-flagged container ship named the "Vela Nova" came under missile attack from a helicopter while sailing west in the Gulf of Oman, about 71 nautical miles from the coast of Pakistan. Vanguard stated in its initial report on the incident: "The missile struck the vessel, causing a fire that was subsequently extinguished." The report added that all 17 crew members have been fully accounted for and confirmed safe.