M/V Vela Nova
Panamanian-flagged merchant vessel struck in The Gulf of Oman on 11 August 2026.
On 11 August 2026, a US Navy MH-60 helicopter fired two Hellfire missiles into M/V Vela Nova's engine room in The Gulf of Oman, disabling her steering after CENTCOM said the Panama-flagged vessel had ignored warnings and tried to evade the blockade.
Last refreshed: 19 August 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
The US disabled a merchant ship with Hellfire missiles for evading a blockade; what happens to her crew now?
Timeline for M/V Vela Nova
Mentioned in: Baqaei calls the UAE missile claim baseless
Iran Conflict 2026Mentioned in: Unclaimed Hormuz strike kills one crew member
Iran Conflict 2026Two Hellfires into a merchant ship
Iran Conflict 2026Background
M/V Vela Nova is a Panama-flagged merchant vessel. Her defining record in the Iran conflict is the 11 August 2026 Hellfire strike that disabled her steering in The Gulf of Oman, the latest addition at the time to CENTCOM's running tally of vessels redirected, disabled or boarded in the Hormuz blockade.
The strike drew a contested aftermath. Hours after it, an IRGC spokesman claimed the US had no warship left in The Persian Gulf, a claim contradicted the same day by an independent count of more than 15 US warships.
For the Shipping Industry, Vela Nova's case set the going rate for non-compliance: CENTCOM disables rather than sinks vessels that ignore blockade warnings, a pattern that raises the practical cost of evasion without adding to the death toll directly attributable to the blockade itself.
CENTCOM disables Vela Nova's steering
On 11 August 2026, a US Navy MH-60 helicopter fired two Hellfire missiles into Vela Nova's engine room in The Gulf of Oman, disabling her steering gear. CENTCOM said the Panama-flagged vessel had ignored warnings and tried to evade the US blockade on Iranian ports; its statement did not address crew casualties.
Britain's maritime trade watchdog UKMTO first logged the vessel as a tanker before the record was corrected to container ship. The strike added Vela Nova to CENTCOM's running tally of vessels redirected, disabled or boarded since mid-July, which had climbed from 49 vessels a week earlier to 55.
What happened to the M/V Vela Nova?
Why did the US strike the Vela Nova?
Were there casualties on the Vela Nova?
Did UKMTO first report the Vela Nova as a tanker?
Where was the M/V Vela Nova when she was struck?
