The Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) announced that its containership MSC Sariska V was hit by two projectiles while leaving the Port of Umm Qasr in Iraq on Sunday. This incident is considered one of the most seriou...
The Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) announced that its containership MSC Sariska V was hit by two projectiles while leaving the Port of Umm Qasr in Iraq on Sunday. This incident is considered one of the most serious attacks on a commercial vessel in the northern Persian Gulf since the U.S.-Iran conflict began.
In a statement released on Monday, MSC confirmed that the Panama-flagged ship was struck shortly after departing from the port.
“The first projectile hit while the pilot was still onboard as the ship was leaving the port, and a second hit the crew area shortly after,” the company reported.
Fortunately, all crew members were unharmed, and MSC praised the ship's crew for their professional response in securing the vessel and its cargo after the attack.
The company also addressed claims from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), which reportedly took responsibility for the attack, linking it to recent U.S. actions concerning the Iranian vessel Lion Star.
“This retaliatory action is completely unjustified,” MSC stated, highlighting that it is a neutral commercial carrier with no ties to either the United States or Israel. The company is based in Switzerland and owned by the family of its founder, Gianluigi Aponte.
This confirmation came after several advisories from the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) on Sunday, indicating that a cargo vessel about 40 nautical miles southeast of Umm Qasr was hit by an unknown projectile, resulting in a significant explosion. An update later reported a second impact and a fire, which was extinguished afterward.
Footage shared on social media showed significant damage to the right side of the vessel above the waterline.
Maritime analyst Sal Mercogliano mentioned that the MSC Sariska V has essentially been stuck in the Persian Gulf since the conflict began on February 28 and has been part of a regional feeder network set up by MSC due to disruptions in deep-sea services.
The specifics of the damage have led to speculation regarding the type of weapon used. Security experts noted that the visible impact pattern does not seem consistent with a mine strike, suggesting it might have been an attack by an uncrewed surface vessel (USV), similar to incidents that have occurred in the northern Gulf during the conflict.
Martin Kelly, the head of advisory at EOS Risk Group, previously suggested that the vessel was likely hit while in Iraqi territorial waters after completing cargo operations at Umm Qasr.
This attack marks at least the third reported incident involving commercial shipping in Iraqi and northern Gulf waters since March.
On March 4, a tanker anchored southeast of Kuwait reported an explosion after seeing a small craft leave the area. A week later, UKMTO noted that two tankers were struck by unknown projectiles south of Al Basrah, igniting fires on both ships and prompting crew evacuations.
MSC expressed its "deep concern about these unprovoked attacks and the danger they pose to its innocent seafarers and essential maritime trade in the region."