The U.S. military on Tuesday (August 11) said it had used missiles to disable the steering gear of a Panama-flagged cargo ship which, they say, ignored repeated warnings to stop violating a naval blockade on Iranian ports.
A U.S. Navy MH-60 helicopter fired two Hellfire missiles into the Vela Nova's engine room, the Central Command added.
"As of Aug. 11, CENTCOM has redirected 55 commercial vessels attempting to run the blockade, disabled 3 non-compliant vessels, and boarded 2," it said in a statement.
The ship was believed to have been hit some 71 nautical miles off Pakistan's coast, UK maritime risk management group Vanguard said.
If confirmed, it would be the 12th vessel attacked by U.S. forces since its blockade was announced in April and the third since the blockade was reimposed on July 14.
Posted by: Alma Angeles/NET25 News
