Italian-Swiss shipowner MSC of the Portuguese-flagged vessel seized by Iran today near the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf says there are 25 crew members on board the container ship.
“We regret to inform you that the MSC Aries, owned by Gortal Shipping Inc, affiliated with Zodiac Maritime and chartered by MSC, was approached by Iranian authorities by helicopter,” with “25 crew members on board,” Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) said. . ), based in Geneva, to the France-Presse (AFP) news agency.
However, Iran’s IRNA news agency reported that the Revolutionary Guards, an Iranian paramilitary force that has carried out similar attacks in the past, would move the ship into Iranian territorial waters.
The helicopter used by the Revolutionary Guard to seize the ship is a Soviet-era Mi-17, which both the Guard and the Iranian-backed Houthis, Yemen’s rebels, have used in the past to carry out sabotage attacks on ships.
In Lisbon, the Portuguese government confirmed the seizure of the Portuguese-flagged vessel, indicated that it was monitoring the situation, assured that there were no Portuguese citizens on board, and asked Tehran for clarification.
In a press release, the Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirms that the vessel is a Portuguese-flagged cargo ship, MSC Aries (registered in the Autonomous Region of Madeira), owned by London-based Zodiac Maritime Limited.
The statement notes that monitoring of the situation is carried out under the direct coordination of the Prime Minister’s Office with the participation of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, the President, National Defense and the Economy.
“There are no records of Portuguese citizens on board, either crew or command. The Portuguese government is in contact with Iranian authorities, asking for clarification and requesting further information,” says the executive.
Unlike Portugal, the Israeli army today refused to comment on the approach of an Islamic Revolutionary Guards helicopter to a Portuguese-flagged ship believed to be linked to Israel in the Persian Gulf.
“No comment,” said an Israeli military official interviewed by EFE, after Tasnim, an agency linked to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, announced that “a cargo ship linked to the Zionist regime [Israel]”was arrested.
The incident comes amid tensions caused by an Israeli attack on the Iranian consulate in Damascus on the 1st of this month, which killed seven members of the Revolutionary Guard. Meanwhile, Iran has vowed to retaliate and the United States warned of a possible response from Tehran over the weekend.
The hijacked container ship is linked to Zodiac Maritime, part of the Zodiac Group, which has a fleet of more than 180 vessels and is owned by Israeli billionaire Eyal Ofer.
The vessel left Khalifa in the United Arab Emirates and headed to Nhava Sheva, India, with its latest position taken on Friday at the exact same location near the Strait of Hormuz where it was seized.
Tensions marked over the past six months by the war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip have recently intensified following the April 1 bombing of the Iranian consulate in Damascus, Syria, which killed senior Iranian military officials and was blamed on Tel Aviv. Aviv.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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