gCaptain11 Aug 2026AI generated
CENTCOM confirmed a U.S. Navy MH-60 helicopter fired two Hellfire missiles into the engine room of the Panama-flagged containership Vela Nova on August 11, disabling its steering gear after the civilian crew ignored repeated warnings and sailed toward an Iranian port in the Gulf of Oman. The 1997-built vessel, owned by Golden Valley Marine INV and managed by Sino Hellenic Ships Management, had been sailing from India toward Jebel Ali. All crew were accounted for, and a fire was extinguished.
Context
The confirmation adds the U.S. military as the attacker behind the UKMTO missile report of the same day, which earlier left the source of the strike unstated.
