The UKMTO apprised the international public of the incident in which a commercial vessel was reportedly struck approximately 40 nautical miles southeast of the important port city of Umm Qasr in southern Iraq. 

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) targeted a second ship from the Swiss company controlled by the Aponte family, Iranian media reported following the attack on its container ship, the MSC Sariska V (IMO 8715857, MMSI 351356000 -sailing under the flag of Panama..) In response to the US launch of a Hellfire missile against the engine room of the VLCC tanker Lexie on June 2, the MSC Panaya (IMO 9217565, MMSI 636020343 - sailing under the flag of Liberia )was targeted with naval missiles, according to reports from the Iranian news agency Tasmin. The agency described the ship as belonging to the 'American Zionist' enemy, a term that Iran has previously used in relation to attacks on ships belonging to the Swiss shipping company.

The MSC Panaya 

The MSC Panaya is currently docked in the Khalifa Bin Salman Port in Bahrain, according to AIS data from Pole Star Global. The attack has not been confirmed by other sources. Iran also claimed to have targeted the headquarters of the US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain with missiles and drones. However, the United States Central Command has dismissed these reports as unfounded.

 The MSC Panaya would be the second in recent days against MSC ships.

In response to US attacks on oil tankers attempting to break the naval blockade of Iranian ports and the Strait of Hormuz, an Iranian attack on the MSC Panaya would be the second in recent days against MSC ships. MSC reiterates its previous announcement from 24 hours earlier regarding news of this second attack: 'This retaliatory action is completely unjustified, as MSC is a neutral commercial carrier with no affiliation to the United States or Israel. Founded by Italian citizen Captain Gianluigi Aponte, the company is based in Switzerland, where it conducts all its operations, and is wholly owned by his children, Diego and Alexa Aponte, who are both Italian citizens with no other citizenship."

The dangerous operation carried a cause-and-effect relationship

The IRGC Navy has stated that this dangerous operation is a case of cause and effect. The missile attack was said to be a "retaliation" for a US military attack on Iran's Lian Star ship in the Sea of Oman. Iran also issued a clear warning that any future US aggression in the region would be met with a much more "determined and harsh response".

Related : UKMTO reports vessel attack on bulk carrier off Doha

The attack had been confirmed by UKMTO.

A report had already been published by UKMTO, the body responsible for monitoring maritime security in the region, before Iran claimed responsibility for the development. The report informed the international public that a commercial vessel had been hit approximately 40 nautical miles southeast of the important port city of Umm Qasr in southern Iraq. Iran's statement confirmed that the vessel in question was the MSC Sariska.

Source: Agencies

# UKMTO #The IRGC Navy#Sea of Oman #Lian Star ship #MSC Panaya #US military #Port in Bahrain #MSC Sariska V #MSC ships # Persian Gulf