US Navy Disables M/V Vela Nova in Gulf of Oman Blockade Enforcement

A US Navy helicopter fired two Hellfire missiles into the engine room of the Panama-flagged cargo ship Vela Nova in the Gulf of Oman on Aug. 11. The attack disabled the ship's steering gear. No crew were injured.

Vela Nova had been heading toward an Iranian port when it was intercepted. US Central Command said the crew ignored repeated warnings before the helicopter opened fire. A fire caused by the missiles was extinguished. All crew were accounted for.

CENTCOM said the strike enforced the US naval blockade of Iran, reimposed on July 14. Vela Nova was the third commercial ship American forces had disabled since then. By Aug. 11, CENTCOM said its forces had redirected 55 ships attempting to transit toward Iranian ports, disabled three, and boarded two.