U.S. military forces disabled an empty oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman on Monday after the vessel attempted to sail to an Iranian port in breach of an enforced blockade.
The vessel was identified as the Palau-flagged M/T Marivex. According to U.S. Central Command, an F/A-18 Super Hornet operating from the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) fired a precision munition into the Marivex’s engineering and steering spaces after the ship’s crew did not follow directions issued by U.S. forces. CENTCOM said the Marivex is no longer en route to Iran.
CENTCOM provided cumulative figures for the operation that began with the blockade on April 13. Since that date, the command reports it has disabled seven non-compliant vessels, redirected 134 ships that complied with instructions, and allowed 42 vessels carrying humanitarian aid to continue on their passages.
The action against the Marivex followed the pattern described by CENTCOM in its daily accounting of maritime enforcement activity - distinguishing between vessels that complied with orders, those carrying humanitarian supplies that were permitted to pass, and ships judged non-compliant and rendered ineffective.
Officials described the targeting as concentrated on the vessel’s engineering and steering compartments, with the intent of stopping the ship’s ability to continue toward its intended destination. CENTCOM’s reported tallies since April 13 frame the Marivex incident as part of a broader maritime effort involving multiple boardings, redirections and interdictions.
Details released by the command specify the nationality of the vessel’s flag - Palau - and identify the U.S. air asset and carrier involved in the strike. Beyond the immediate operational account, CENTCOM’s summary provides the numerical scope of its maritime actions during the period of the blockade.
Questions about the status of other individual vessels, legal steps taken prior to strikes on non-compliant ships, and follow-on arrangements for disabled vessels were not described in CENTCOM’s summary. The command’s public tally remains the principal source of detail available in the announcement.