A Marshall Islands-flagged container ship, Maersk Tigris, was seized by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps patrol boats on Apr. 28 while traveling through the Strait of Hormuz.
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The vessel was accused of trespassing Iran’s territorial waters and the captain was ordered to steam further into Iran’s territorial waters. When he refused to comply, warning shots were fired across the ship’s bow. An Iranian boarding party then took over the ship.
Maersk Tigris is owned and operated by Singapore-based Rickmers Ship Management and a spokesperson from Maersk said the company “moves cargo for the U.S. government and military.”
The Pentagon has since dispatched USS Farragut to the area to monitor the situation.