US forces disabled the St. Kitts and Nevis-flagged cargo ship M/V Huda in the Gulf of Oman on Saturday, November 7, after it attempted to leave regional waters following a visit to an Iranian port, US Central Command said.
CENTCOM said a US military aircraft fired precision munitions at the ship’s stern after the crew ignored repeated warnings. The command said it had directed the crew to leave the areas targeted. The account of the ship’s movements and the warnings comes from the US military; the incident’s details have not been independently confirmed in the reports cited here. CENTCOM said the vessel was disabled, not sunk.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency reported an incident involving a bulk carrier and military forces about 18 nautical miles east of Khor Fakkan, on the UAE coast. The report did not identify the vessel as the Huda. The UKMTO account described the location and type of vessel involved.
The UAE National Guard said early Sunday that 22 people had been rescued from a cargo ship in the Gulf of Oman. Its announcement did not name the ship, so it does not confirm that those rescued were aboard the Huda.
CENTCOM said US forces had redirected 147 commercial vessels that complied with the blockade of Iran since July, and disabled five merchant ships that refused. The figures were provided by the command as it said it would continue enforcing the blockade.
Clayton Ward