Iranian Boats Fire on Cargo Ship for 20 Minutes in Hormuz, Leaving 9 Bullet Dents
Updated
Updated · The Washington Post · May 19
Iranian Boats Fire on Cargo Ship for 20 Minutes in Hormuz, Leaving 9 Bullet Dents
15 articles · Updated · The Washington Post · May 19
Small Iranian boats fired on a cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz for more than 20 minutes, shattering bridge windows and leaving at least nine bullet dents; the all-Filipino crew of 23 escaped injury.
The crew said the ship had drifted slightly off its authorized passage plan into shallower lanes near shore, and one sailor believed the gunfire was meant as a warning — though bullets pierced occupied bridge windows.
The vessel entered the strait only after five crew votes and pressure from its Greek manager, which offered two months’ extra pay as sailors weighed mines, missiles and fears of blacklisting.
The previously unreported attack fits a wider maritime crisis in which more than two dozen ships have been attacked around Hormuz, at least 11 seafarers have been killed, and over 20,000 sailors have been stranded in the Gulf.
Is Iran's low-cost naval strategy a new warfare playbook for challenging superpowers at other global chokepoints?
Beyond oil, how will the Hormuz blockade create shortages in global food and technology supply chains?
When sailors are coerced into war zones, is international law failing to protect them from both bullets and blacklists?
Strait of Hormuz Crisis: April 22, 2026 Vessel Seizures, US-Iran Standoff, and Global Maritime Fallout
Overview
On April 22, 2026, during a fragile truce between Iran and the United States, two commercial vessels—the MSC Francesca and the Epaminondas—were attacked and seized in the Strait of Hormuz. This incident happened after Iran agreed to reopen the vital shipping route, with vessel passage coordinated by its military. The MSC Francesca, flying a Panamanian flag, was seized, while the Epaminondas, under a Liberian flag, was attacked by a gunboat, though its crew remained safe. These events highlighted the tense situation in the region and the challenges in maintaining secure and open maritime routes during ongoing geopolitical disputes.