One of three commercial vessels fired upon by Iranian forces in theStrait of Hormuzon Wednesday may have been headed forGujarat, according to initial shipping data. Iran's Revolutionary Guards opened fire on the vessels as they transited the strategic waterway, with two ships later seized and at least one sustaining damage, though no casualties were reported. Of the vessels targeted in the Strait of Hormuz incident on Wednesday, container ship Epaminondas was signaling Mundra port in Gujarat as its destination, according to vessel-tracking data from maritime intelligence firm MarineTraffic.
The ship is sailing under the flag of Liberia and "is currently located in the Oman Gulf", it said in an 18.30 IST update.
Information on its owner and the cargo it is carrying for was not immediately available.
Ships can and do change course or destination during a voyage, typically due to commercial instructions, weather, congestion, port delays, or security considerations.
Also, vessel-tracking systems rely on AIS (Automatic Identification System) signals, which can be manipulated in some cases. Ships may transmit incomplete, delayed or intentionally altered AIS data to obscure their exact location or intended destination - often referred to as "spoofing" or signal masking.
Another container ship, MSC Francesca, was indicating Hambantota port in Sri Lanka, while a third vessel, Euphoria, was showing Jeddah as its destination, the data showed.
Tehran said the vessels had violated transit rules or ignored warnings, while maritime sources indicated at least one ship had prior clearance.
At an inter-ministerial briefing on recent developments in West Asia, Mukesh Mangal, Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, said last week, two Indian vessels attempting to cross the strait were fired upon and had to make a retreat.
This, even as an Indian-flagged crude tanker, Desh Garima, safely transited the Strait of Hormuz on April 18 and is expected to reach Mumbai on Wednesday, he said.
The Shipping Corporation of India (SCI) tanker is the 10th India-flagged vessel to have crossed the strait since early March.
Source: India Latest News, Breaking News Today, Top News Headlines | Times Now
