MSC: Attacked vessel has no affiliation with US or Israel

Shafaq News- Basra

Global shipping giant Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) said on Tuesday that one of its vessels came under fire twice while departing Iraq’s Umm Qasr Port in Basra, describing the incident as an “unjustified” attack on a neutral commercial carrier.

The Panama-flagged MSC Sariska V was struck once while a harbor pilot remained onboard and a second time in the crew accommodation area, according to the company. No injuries were reported among the crew.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) had confirmed targeting the vessel as a response to a previous “US assault on an Iranian vessel in the Gulf of Oman.” MSC, however, stressed that it has no affiliation with either the United States or Israel.

Earlier today, Iraq’s Higher Maritime Commission placed its personnel and supporting agencies on alert to investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident inside Iraqi territorial waters. A security source told Shafaq News that the strike prompted the evacuation of 20 sailors to the Search and Rescue Center at Al-Faw Port, with no casualties reported.