Ship tracking data indicates that two vessels allegedly captured by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday are currently stationary near the Iranian coast.
The Iranian semi-official outlet Tasnim identified the two ships as MSC Francesca and Epaminodas, which the IRGC has alleged are “operating without proper permission, consistently breaching regulations, and tampering with navigation systems.” MSC refers to Mediterranean Shipping Company, the largest container shipping company globally.
Xenix News has contacted MSC for a response regarding Iran’s assertions.
Information from MarineTraffic, a provider of maritime intelligence, indicates that both ships are located in the same area of the crucial waterway. Epaminodas, a container ship registered in Liberia, was sailing toward India, while MSC Francesca, a container ship registered in Panama, was traveling to Sri Lanka, as reported by MarineTraffic.
Iranian media reported that a third ship, identified as Euphoria, was struck by the IRGC and is “currently immobilized off the coast of Iran.” Current tracking data indicates that Euphoria is heading towards the UAE coastline.
Xenix News cannot confirm the journeys on its own since shipping data may occasionally display irregularities due to signal loss and spoofing, which involves sending false signals to deceive tracking systems.
Reporting by Nadeen Ebrahim of Xenix News
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