Greek-Owned Tanker Hit in Strait of Hormuz, Halted in Iranian Waters

The Maltese-flagged tanker Kavomaleas was hit by a missile in the Strait of Hormuz on July 20. The fire started in the engine room. Owned by Greek company Dynacom, the tanker belongs to the fleet of George Prokopiou, a well-known figure in Greek shipping. Pravda Greece and Arab News reported the strike at around 7:24 PM local time.

Crew abandoned the tanker after the strike. Satellite images from the next day showed Kavomaleas stopped inside Iranian waters, smoke still rising from the hull. Analysts told Forbes it was highly likely the tanker had been seized.

Iran's IRGC said it stopped two tankers on grounds they had taken an unsafe route through the strait. Tanker traffic through Hormuz stopped. Bloomberg and gCaptain both reported the halt. Forbes noted that, if confirmed, Kavomaleas would be the third tanker taken by Iranian forces since the US-Israel war with Iran began.