Illustrative image. (U.S. Central Command)
The United States said its military disabled a cargo ship in the Gulf of Oman on October 10 after the vessel ignored warnings and attempted to breach a naval blockade of Iranian ports.
An American fighter jet struck the stern of the Panama-flagged Ocean Molica, also known as Arika Sun, with a precision munition, disabling the ship’s propulsion system without injuring its crew, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement posted on X.
The cargo ship had left a port in the Islamic Republic before attempting to transit regional waters, according to the command.
“Four commercial vessels have been disabled and 135 ships have been turned around during three months of strict enforcement. Additionally, U.S. forces have destroyed 10 tankers linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ (IRGC) multibillion-dollar shadow network over the same period,” CENTCOM said.
The incident came amid reports of other threats to commercial shipping near the Strait of Hormuz. The IRGC said on October 9 that a supertanker had caught fire after striking a naval mine while attempting to leave the strait by what it described as an “unauthorized and dangerous route.”
Other reports said a tanker had been struck by an unidentified projectile. India confirmed that all 22 crew members aboard the MT GEM No. 2 were safe following an incident off the coast of the United Arab Emirates.
Separately, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency said several ships near Ras Al Khaimah in the UAE had reported receiving radio instructions to leave their anchorages. The agency classified the incident as “suspicious activity” and said it was under investigation, without identifying who issued the instructions or whether the vessels complied.
Commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remained sharply reduced on October 11. Reuters reported that vessel transits had fallen to their lowest level in more than two months, following a previous week in which tanker attacks reached their highest weekly total since the United States and Israel began their war against Iran in February.
The Hormuz.now shipping tracker recorded an average of about 10 commercial crossings a day over the preceding week, compared with roughly 85 before the crisis. The figures may exclude vessels whose tracking systems are switched off while moving through the strait.
Before the war, the Strait of Hormuz carried about one-fifth of the world’s oil consumption, making the disruption a major concern for global energy shipments.
The latest attack by CENTCOM will likely lead to more escalation in the waterway as Iran is guaranteed to strike back with full force.
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