U.S. forces disabled an oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman on Monday after the vessel attempted to reach an Iranian port in violation of the ongoing U.S. maritime blockade of Iran, according to U.S. Central Command.
CENTCOM stated that the Palau-flagged M/T Marivex, an unladen commercial oil tanker, was transiting international waters toward Iran when its crew failed to comply with directions from U.S. forces.
An F/A-18 Super Hornet launched from the USS Abraham Lincoln then fired a precision munition into the vessel’s engineering and steering spaces, disabling the ship, according to the command.
“Marivex is no longer sailing to Iran,” CENTCOM stated.
The incident is the latest enforcement action since the United States imposed a blockade on maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports on April 13. CENTCOM said U.S. forces have since disabled seven noncompliant vessels, redirected 134 others and allowed 42 humanitarian-aid ships to pass.
