The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces said they fired a Hellfire missile at a Gambian-flagged cargo ship, M/V Lian Star, after the Iran-bound vessel violated the U.S. blockade. The vessel was transiting international waters toward an Iranian port on May 29 when the attack happened.
CENTCOM claimed Lian Star ignored more than 20 warnings from US forces overnight as it tried to enter an Iranian port. Following this, a US aircraft disabled the vessel by firing a Hellfire missile into the ship’s engine room.
As per reports, the ship is no longer transiting to Iran and remains adrift in the Gulf of Oman. However, the US forces have not boarded it, said a US official with knowledge of the situation. This is the sixth ship that was stopped by the US military while trying to breach the blockade. One was allowed to proceed. Another 116 ships have been redirected, the military said.
The US is also instructing ships to turn off their detection systems to pass through the Strait of Hormuz in coordination with the US military to protect themselves from attacks by Iran, according to The Wall Street Journal. The report added that despite the ongoing tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, some maritime traffic is still operating, and in recent weeks, some ships, including a number of the world's largest oil and liquefied natural gas tankers, have passed through this strategic passage.
Some ships are operating in a "silent" mode to reduce the risk of potential attacks by deactivating their lights and automatic identification system to make them more difficult to track electronically. American forces use radar, drones and other surveillance systems to monitor maritime traffic and provide them with the necessary information for safe passage of ships, the report added.
The movement of ships without the use of automatic identification systems poses risk as the vessels are unable to see each other's positions or determine their own position on electronic charts and are forced to rely on radar for navigation. Sailors say that although radar is a reliable tool, its safe use requires the presence of experienced people in the ship's navigation, and these people must be able to predict the behaviour and possible course of other vessels.
Additionally, radar does not display the names of nearby ships, making communication, coordination between vessels, and the necessary manoeuvres to avoid collisions more challenging.
