Crew abandons container ship after fire in latest Hormuz attack

The crew of a container ship abandoned the vessel after a fire broke out in the latest incident in the Strait of Hormuz, the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said early on Sunday.

The crew members had moved to a rescue ship, the UK agency revealed, citing a ship security officer and military authorities.

UKMTO had previously reported that the ship was damaged east of Oman.

Earlier, the US military said Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) had attacked the Cyprus-flagged container ship GFS Galaxy in the Strait of Hormuz.

One civilian crew member is missing, according to the US military.

The 300-metre-long ship is unable to continue its voyage because of a fire on board and significant damage to the engine room, the US military said.

The IRGC had previously said they fired warning shots at a ship in the strait.

The ship had endangered maritime security in the strait, the Guards said via their Sepah News Telegram channel.

The Guards said several ships had tried to take an unapproved route and ignored calls to correct the course.

As a result of the incident, the Strait of Hormuz would remain closed until further notice and until the end of US interventions in the region, the statement added.

dpa/NAN.

𝕤𝕖𝕖 𝕞𝕠𝕣𝕖/𝕨𝕒𝕥𝕔𝕙 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕧𝕚𝕕𝕖𝕠 𝕙𝕖𝕣𝕖