Iran Seizes Chinese-Operated ‘Floating Armory’ Near Strait of Hormuz
A vessel operating as a floating armory was seized by unauthorized personnel near the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday and diverted toward Iranian territorial waters, according to British maritime authorities.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), a British military-linked maritime monitoring agency, said the vessel was boarded and “taken by unauthorized personnel” while anchored about 38 nautical miles northeast of Fujairah, the United Arab Emirates’ key oil export terminal.
The agency said it later tracked the vessel heading toward Iranian waters in the Gulf of Oman.
British authorities did not identify the ship or those responsible for the seizure. However, maritime security consultancy Vanguard Tech identified the vessel as the Honduras-flagged Hui Chuan, a “fishing support vessel” reportedly operating as a floating armory in the Gulf of Oman.
Vanguard said “the company security officer reported that the vessel was taken by Iranian personnel while at anchor.”
“The vessel is reportedly bound for Iranian territorial waters,” the company said, adding that contact with the ship had been lost and it was no longer transmitting its position through the Automated Identification System, or AIS.
Hui Chuan last broadcast its location about 70 kilometers (40 miles) northeast of Fujairah on Wednesday, according to BBC Verify, citing MarineTraffic ship-tracking data.
It remains unclear what was aboard the vessel or which security companies may have used the vessel but according to open source reports, Hui Chuan was operated by Chinese private military contractors providing protection for ships against piracy.
In April, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps seized the container ships MSC Francesca and Epaminondas in the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran has not yet commented on the report.
