Sudden!MSC-affiliated container ship was attacked near the Strait of Hormuz, and two ships were seiz
- Author:Maintenance network
- Source:Maintenance network
- Release Date:2026-04-24
On April 22, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps took tough action in the Strait of Hormuz and seized two container ships related to the global shipping giant Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC).According to Iran's Tasnim News Agency, the Revolutionary Guards Navy intercepted and controlled the "MSC Francesca" and the "Epaminondas" owned by the Greek shipowner and time chartered to MSC in the early morning of Wednesday local time. The two ships were trying to leave the Persian Gulf.
The ship positioning and information query function of the maintenance network shows that the "MSC Francesca" was built in 2008, flies the Panama flag, and has a deadweight of 11,336TEU. The "Epaminondas" was built in 1998, flies the Liberian flag, and has a deadweight of 6,690TEU.
⬆️Click on the picture to get the latest updates on the corresponding ship
Iran accused the former of having ties to Israel. It also accused the two ships of failing to obtain necessary passage permissions, tampering with navigation systems, and disrupting the safety and order of navigation in the strait. It then took them to Iranian coastal waters for inspection.
The UK Maritime Trade Operations Office (UKMTO) confirmed that two ships were fired upon by Revolutionary Guard gunboats without warning in the waters northeast of Oman and near Iran. The cockpit of the "MSC Francesca" was seriously damaged. Fortunately, there were no casualties.
The seizure is seen as direct retaliation by Iran for recent U.S. military operations at sea.
Previously, the US military intercepted an Iranian container ship and paralyzed it, and also boarded an Iran-related "shadow fleet" oil tanker.Iran angrily accused the United States of violating the ceasefire agreement and demanded the immediate release of the detained ships.
Trump further intensified the conflict by saying that the United States had seized "bad items" on an Iranian container ship, which were suspected to be rocket fuel chemicals or dual-use equipment.
Iran also claimed that the Strait of Hormuz had been closed again due to US "violations" and that the lifting of the blockade on Iranian ships was a prerequisite for reopening the strait.
Trump has stated that the blockade will continue until a peace agreement is reached.
In this incident, another container ship "Euphoria" operated by MSC and managed by the United Arab Emirates was also attacked.However, the ship has successfully broken through and is currently anchored near Khor Fakkan Port in the United Arab Emirates.
Currently, a large number of ships trying to cross the strait turn off their AIS signals to avoid tracking. Although MSC sent many ships to try to leave the port, only some of them successfully entered the Gulf of Oman.
So far, MSC and international maritime authorities have not confirmed Iran’s seizure statement.
The ship positioning and information query function of the maintenance network shows that the "MSC Francesca" was built in 2008, flies the Panama flag, and has a deadweight of 11,336TEU. The "Epaminondas" was built in 1998, flies the Liberian flag, and has a deadweight of 6,690TEU.
⬆️Click on the picture to get the latest updates on the corresponding ship
Iran accused the former of having ties to Israel. It also accused the two ships of failing to obtain necessary passage permissions, tampering with navigation systems, and disrupting the safety and order of navigation in the strait. It then took them to Iranian coastal waters for inspection.
The UK Maritime Trade Operations Office (UKMTO) confirmed that two ships were fired upon by Revolutionary Guard gunboats without warning in the waters northeast of Oman and near Iran. The cockpit of the "MSC Francesca" was seriously damaged. Fortunately, there were no casualties.
The seizure is seen as direct retaliation by Iran for recent U.S. military operations at sea.
Previously, the US military intercepted an Iranian container ship and paralyzed it, and also boarded an Iran-related "shadow fleet" oil tanker.Iran angrily accused the United States of violating the ceasefire agreement and demanded the immediate release of the detained ships.
Trump further intensified the conflict by saying that the United States had seized "bad items" on an Iranian container ship, which were suspected to be rocket fuel chemicals or dual-use equipment.
Iran also claimed that the Strait of Hormuz had been closed again due to US "violations" and that the lifting of the blockade on Iranian ships was a prerequisite for reopening the strait.
Trump has stated that the blockade will continue until a peace agreement is reached.
In this incident, another container ship "Euphoria" operated by MSC and managed by the United Arab Emirates was also attacked.However, the ship has successfully broken through and is currently anchored near Khor Fakkan Port in the United Arab Emirates.
Currently, a large number of ships trying to cross the strait turn off their AIS signals to avoid tracking. Although MSC sent many ships to try to leave the port, only some of them successfully entered the Gulf of Oman.
So far, MSC and international maritime authorities have not confirmed Iran’s seizure statement.