NICOSIA, July 13 (Reuters) – An Indian crew member is still missing after a Cyprus-flagged container ship was hit in the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday and a search operation is underway to find him, Cyprus’s Deputy Ministry of Shipping said on Monday.
Cypriot authorities said the vessel, the GFS Galaxy, was struck by an “unidentified projectile” while transiting the waterway early on Sunday.
The crew abandoned the ship on a lifeboat and 23 crew members were later rescued by the Oman Navy, Cyprus’s Deputy Ministry of Shipping said.
An Indian crew member, identified as holding the rank of third engineer, was still missing, Cyprus’s DMS said.
“The vessel is currently under tow toward the nearest safe anchorage at the UAE port of Khor Fakkan. The towing team is actively conducting a search operation to locate the missing crew member,” Cyprus’s DMS said in an emailed comment to Reuters.
The U.S. military launched a new round of strikes against Iran after Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces attacked the Cyprus-flagged container ship.
Iran’s IRGC navy said it had struck and halted a vessel that had “jeopardized maritime security by switching off its systems” after it, along with other vessels, attempted to transit through an unauthorised route despite warnings to correct its course.
(Writing by Michele Kambas; Editing by Sharon Singleton)
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