A Merchant Navy vice captain from Rajasthan’s Sri Ganganagar district is stranded in the Strait of Hormuz after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) intercepted and seized a container ship bound for India. Iran has claimed the Liberian-flagged vessel, Epaminondas, was attempting to pass through the strait without permission. The ship was en route to Mundra Port in Gujarat. Vice Captain Sanjay Mahar (38), a resident of Sadbhavana Nagar, said the Iranian forces opened fire on the ship, after which the crew took shelter inside. A total of 21 crew members are on board, and Sanjay has also shared a video from inside the vessel. Pictures from inside the ship Firing occurred while crossing Hormuz Sanjay said that I have been working in the merchant navy for the past 15 years. I left home for Saudi Arabia 20 days ago. From there, I took command of the Liberian-flagged Epaminondas container ship. We had to go to Mundra Port in Gujarat. My container ship had been waiting for permission to pass through the Strait of Hormuz for the past 3 to 4 days. On Wednesday morning at 8 o’clock, as soon as the ship started crossing the Strait of Hormuz, firing was done from the Iranian side. After this, we all went inside. There are 20 people in the crew from the Philippines, Ukraine, Sri Lanka, and I am alone from India. Iranian authorities said the ship’s navigation system had been tampered with, posing a potential threat to maritime security. During the operation, the IRGC intercepted the vessel, took control of it, and moved it towards the coast. Reports also suggest that another vessel, Francesca, allegedly linked to Israel, has been seized, while a ship named Euphoria has also come under attack.
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