US aircraft hits bulker trying to breach blockade
US Central Command reported that forces struck the bulker Huda on 7 November after the vessel attempted to breach a U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports. The engagement was carried out by a naval aircraft that targeted the ship’s stern, causing damage. The action marks the latest instance of the United States striking a bulker in the region.
Details of the Huda incident
According to the command, the crew ignored repeated warnings. A U.S. military aircraft then fired precision munitions at the stern, disabling the vessel and prompting orders for the crew to abandon the targeted spaces. The vessel sails under the flag of St Kitts & Nevis and is owned by Embrace Shipping Management in Turkey. It was trying to leave regional waters after a visit to an Iranian port when the attack occurred.
Broader U.S. blockade activity
Since the United States reinstated the blockade in July, its forces have redirected 147 vessels, disabled five merchant ships that refused compliance, and previously “destroyed” ten oil tankers linked to Iran’s shadow fleet.
Iranian attacks on commercial ships
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) logged a late-night report of a tanker fire 8 nm northwest of Khasab, Oman, on the same day. Military authorities said the crew abandoned the vessel; further details on the ship’s condition were not released.
One hour later, another incident unfolded in the Strait of Hormuz. A tanker on an outbound passage was struck by an unidentified projectile, but all crew members were accounted for and reported safe. These two events raise the confirmed count of vessels attacked by Iran in the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf to nine since the start of November.
Earlier fatal incident
On 5 November, the Marshall Islands-flagged tanker Velos Sapphire was hit in the Arabian Gulf. The Philippines Department of Migrant Workers confirmed that one Filipino seafarer died in an explosion possibly caused by a drone, while 21 other Filipino crew members escaped injury.
