OfficialShipping, energy & marketsGulf of Oman, about 70 nautical miles south of Gwadar, Pakistan
CENTCOM says U.S. helicopter disabled the Vela Nova
- Mountain Time
- Local time
- 3:29 PM in Karachi
- Where
- Gulf of Oman, about 70 nautical miles south of Gwadar, Pakistan
CENTCOM said a Navy MH-60 helicopter fired two Hellfire missiles into the engine room of the Panama-flagged container ship Vela Nova, disabling its steering, after its crew ignored repeated warnings while trying to cross the Gulf of Oman toward Iran. CENTCOM said the blockade had redirected 55 vessels, disabled three and boarded two since July.
Why it matters
It was the third ship disabled under the reimposed blockade and the first container ship, widening enforcement beyond tankers.
Sources (6)
- Reutersreuters.com
- gCaptain report citing CENTCOMgcaptain.comPublished
- Associated Pressapnews.comPublished
- CNNcnn.comPublished
- CNN (2)cnn.comPublished
- CBS Newscbsnews.comPublished
Confidence: Stated by a named government, military, or institution. Not independently confirmed. About confidence labels
Correction
- Corrected the time from 5:00 AM Karachi time, Aug 11, 2026 to 3:29 PM Karachi time, Aug 11, 2026; revised the summary; revised the context note; corrected the location from Gulf of Oman, about 71 nautical miles off Pakistan to Gulf of Oman, about 70 nautical miles south of Gwadar, Pakistan; reclassified it from shipping-security to maritime-security; updated the sourcing note; added 3 sources: CNN, CBS News. Why and evidence