Overview
- Unauthorized personnel boarded a vessel at anchor 38 nautical miles northeast of Fujairah and it moved toward Iranian waters, UKMTO said.
- The vessel’s security officer reported the takeover, contact was lost, and its AIS tracker stopped broadcasting, according to risk firm Vanguard.
- Two maritime security sources said the ship is believed to be the Honduras-flagged Hui Chuan fishery research vessel, with no public confirmation from authorities.
- MarineTraffic data showed the vessel’s last position on May 12 just inside Iran’s exclusive economic zone in the Gulf of Oman.
- The incident adds to a series of recent boardings and seizures near the Strait of Hormuz that have disrupted trade and drawn stepped-up naval monitoring.