Loss Prevention Advice

US Central Command forces disabled the steering gear of the Panama-flagged cargo vessel Vela Nova after it attempted to transit the Gulf of Oman towards an Iranian port in violation of the US blockade.

An incident involving a containership and military forces in the Gulf of Oman on 11 August. Initial reports indicated that the vessel may have been struck by a missile off the coast of Pakistan, identifying it as the Panama-flagged Vela Nova.

A US Navy MH-60 helicopter was the one that fired two Hellfire missiles at the Vela Nova’s engine room after the civilian crew failed to respond to repeated warnings from US forces.

The strike disabled the vessel and prevented it from continuing towards Iran, and the US blockade remains in effect. The forces had redirected 55 commercial vessels attempting to breach the blockade, disabled three non-compliant vessels and boarded two others.

The US forces operating in the Middle East remain on heightened alert and prepared to respond to further attempts to violate the blockade.