Euphoria

On April 22, 2026, at 6.55 a.m. Greek time, the container ship 'Epaminondas' (IMO: 9153862) was fired upon without warning by a gunboat of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), causing significant damage to the vessel’s bridge, approximately 15 nautical miles northeast of Oman in the Strait of Hormuz. The vessel was approached by the gun boat, and while there was no VHF contact, it fired upon the vessel. No fires or environmental impact were reported. All crew were reported to be safe. The container ship had been informed that it had a permission to transit the strait before. Now the authorities were examining the authenticity of the passage approval message, including whether it may have been fraudulent. The ship was seized and was now to be taken to Iran. The UKMTO also has received a report of an incident eight nautical miles west of Iran. The 'Euphoria' was fired upon approximately eight nautical miles west of Iran at 6:38 a.m. UTC. The vessel had begun transiting the Strait of Hormuz outbound at 01:10 a.m. UTC with Jeddah listed as its destination. The crew was safe and accounted for. There was no reported damage to the vessel. A third ship was also targeted trying to transit the strait on April 22. As of April 23, it was anchored in pos. 25° 25' N 056° 37' E. A third ship was also targeted trying to transit the strait on April 22, the 'MSC Francesca' (IMO: 9401116), about six nautical miles off the Iranian coast, while heading southward out of the strait into the Gulf of Oman. The container ship was hailed by the IRGC and instructed to drop anchor. The ship reported damage to the hull and accommodation area. The ship was seized and was now to be taken to Iran. The UKMTO was aware of high levels of activity in the strait and encouraged vessels to report any suspicious activity.