A research vessel was seized by Iran on Thursday off the coast of the United Arab Emirates, according to maritime intelligence firms.
The vessel is believed to be the Honduran-flagged fishing research ship Hui Chuan.
According to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), the ship had been anchored northeast of the port of Fujairah before it began moving toward Iranian territorial waters, reports Sky News.
At least two other vessels have also reportedly been seized by Iran during the ongoing conflict.
UKMTO stated that the latest incident occurred approximately 38 nautical miles (70 kilometers) northeast of Fujairah, citing a report received from the vessel’s security officer.
British maritime risk management group Vanguard also confirmed the Iranian operation, saying the seizure was reported at 05:45 GMT on Thursday.
“The company security officer reported that the vessel was boarded by Iranian personnel while anchored,” Vanguard said in a statement.
“The vessel is reportedly being directed toward Iranian territorial waters,” the company added, noting that contact with the ship had been lost and that it was no longer transmitting its location through the AIS (Automated Identification System), which is commonly used for vessel tracking.
The vessel’s operator, listed in maritime databases as SG Navigation, could not immediately be reached for comment by Reuters.
Tracking data from MarineTraffic showed the vessel was last seen in the Gulf of Oman, within Iran’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), on May 12.
An EEZ generally extends up to 24 nautical miles (38 kilometers) from a country’s coastline.
