Vessel seized off UAE’s Fujairah and heading toward Iranian waters, UKMTO says

DUBAI, May 14 (Reuters) – A vessel was boarded by unauthorized personnel on Thursday while at anchor northeast of the United Arab Emirates port of Fujairah and was heading towards Iranian territorial waters, United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said.

Two maritime security sources said the ship was believed to be the Honduras-flagged Hui Chuan fishery research vessel.

At least two other vessels have been seized by Iran during the war that began when U.S. and Israel launched strikes against Iran on February 28.

The incident happened 38 nautical miles (70 km) northeast of Fujairah, British navy agency UKMTO said, citing a report received from the vessel’s security officer.

British maritime risk management group Vanguard said it was reported at 0545 GMT on Thursday.

“The company security officer reported that the vessel was taken by Iranian personnel while at anchor,” Vanguard said.

“The vessel is reportedly bound for Iranian territorial waters,” it said, adding that contact had been lost and the vessel was no longer transmitting its position through the Automated Identification System (AIS).

The vessel’s operator, listed on shipping databases as Marshall Islands-based SG Navigation, could not be reached for comment.

The vessel was last seen in the Gulf of Oman, just within Iran’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) on May 12, according to ship tracking data on the MarineTraffic platform.

An EEZ extends up to 24 miles (38 ‌km) from a country’s coast.

(Reporting by Ahmed Elimam, Jonathan Saul and Renee Maltezou; Editing by Sharon Singleton, Aidan Lewis)