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A cargo vessel was struck by an unidentified projectile in the Gulf southeast of Iraq, causing a “large explosion,” the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported on June 1, amid rising tensions between the United States and Iran.
In an advisory notice, the UKMTO said it received a report of an incident involving a cargo ship transiting the Gulf about 40 nautical miles southeast of the Iraqi port of Umm Qasr.
The agency, run by the Royal Navy, added that the vessel was hit on its starboard side by an “unknown projectile,” triggering a “large explosion.”
It concluded by stating that it was not aware of any environmental impact resulting from the incident at the time of reporting.
Based on maritime traffic data, the ship has been identified as the Panama-flagged MSC SARISKA V container ship. The ship is operated by MSC Shipmanagement Limited, the specialized technical management and crewing subsidiary of the Swiss MSC Group. It has no clear links to the United States or Israel.
Footage showing the aftermath of the attack revealed damage right along the waterline on the ships’ starboard side, which suggests that the attack was carried out by a one-way drone boat.
The incident came following another clash between the U.S. and Iran amid the fragile ceasefire. Several U.S. strikes hit the Islamic Republic overnight after an American drone was shot down over the Persian Gulf. Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps retaliated by firing missiles at an air base hosting U.S. troops in Kuwait.
The clash, coupled with an Israeli escalation against Hezbollah in Lebanon, reportedly pushed Iran to halt the exchange of messages with the U.S. through mediators.
It is very possible that the ship hit in Umm Qasr was targeted by Iran. The Islamic Republic has targeted over 30 ships since the start of the American-Israeli war, even after the ceasefire with the U.S. in April, including at least four off the shores of Iraq.
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