/Agencia Reuters
A vessel was boarded by unauthorized personnel while it was anchored northeast of the Port of Fujairah, in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The ship was heading towards Iranian territorial waters, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO).
For its part, two maritime security sources indicated that the vessel is believed to be the fishing research vessel Hui Chuan, flying the flag of Honduras.
At least two other vessels have been seized by Iran during the war that began when the United States and Israel launched attacks against the Islamic Republic on February 28.
The incident occurred 70 kilometers northeast of Fujairah, reported the British maritime agency UKMTO, citing a report received from the vessel’s security officer.
The British maritime risk management group Vanguard noted that the incident was reported at 05:45 GMT on Thursday, May 14.
“The company’s security officer reported that the vessel was taken by Iranian personnel while it was anchored,” Vanguard stated.
“The vessel is reportedly heading towards Iranian territorial waters,” the entity said, adding that contact has been lost and the vessel is no longer transmitting its position via the Automatic Identification System (AIS).
The vessel was last seen in the Gulf of Oman, just inside Iran’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) on May 12, according to vessel tracking data from the MarineTraffic platform.
