The maritime risk management firm Vanguard claims that Iranian military forces have taken control of a ship that was allegedly functioning as a “floating armoury” in the Gulf of Oman. According to the UK’s Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) organization, the ship is currently “bound for Iranian territorial waters”.
The ship, named by Vanguard as the Honduran-flagged Hui Chuan, last broadcast its location 70 kilometers (40 miles) northeast of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday, according to ship-tracking data from MarineTraffic that BBC Verify examined.
The operators of Hui Chuan informed Vanguard that it functions as a floating armoury, storing guns for security companies that defend ships from pirate attacks while at sea. BBC Verify is unable to verify the contents of the ship or its users.
These ships are stationed in the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, and the Gulf of Oman so that security personnel can readily retrieve and deliver guns and ammunition, according to earlier BBC reports.
According to Indian officials, an Indian-flagged ship was attacked off the coast of Oman on Wednesday, which is why Hui Chuan appears to have been seized. According to Vanguard, the Haji Ali “reportedly sank” off the coast of Oman after what is thought to have been a “drone or missile” explosion.
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