**Title: Cyprus-flagged Ship Attack Disrupts Hormuz Traffic**
A Cyprus-flagged container ship, the GFS Galaxy, is currently disabled off the coast of Oman following an attack attributed to Iranian forces. The incident occurred on Saturday night at approximately 22:40 UTC as the vessel was navigating through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical maritime passage for global shipping.
The attack resulted in a fire in the engine room of the GFS Galaxy, prompting the crew to abandon ship. Of the 24 crew members aboard, 23 were rescued by Omani authorities, while one Indian seafarer remains missing. The Indian government confirmed that 11 of its nationals were part of the crew, with ten successfully rescued. The Indian embassy in Muscat is actively coordinating with local authorities to facilitate the ongoing search for the missing sailor.
The GFS Galaxy, built in 2009, measures approximately 304 meters in length and 40 meters in width, with a capacity of around 7,000 twenty-foot equivalent units. The vessel is beneficially owned by the UAE’s AD Ports Group and operated by Global Feeder Shipping. It had departed from Jebel Ali and was en route to various Gulf ports, including destinations in Malaysia, China, and South Korea. Notably, the ship's automatic identification system was reportedly turned off during its passage, a precautionary measure reflecting heightened concerns about the safety of maritime traffic in the region.
The UK Maritime Trade Operations center reported that the incident took place about nine nautical miles east of Oman, while Oman’s Maritime Security Centre noted that the distress call was received when the GFS Galaxy was approximately 4.4 nautical miles off the Musandam peninsula. The Cyprus government has confirmed that no Cypriot nationals were among the crew members.
In a statement, US Central Command attributed the attack to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, describing it as an assault on a commercial vessel operating within international waters. Conversely, Iranian officials claimed that their forces fired a "warning shot" after the GFS Galaxy allegedly ignored instructions to alter its course, asserting that the ship was navigating an unauthorized route. The precise details surrounding the attack and the type of weaponry employed remain unverified.
This incident marks the fourth reported Iranian attack on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz since early July. Previous assaults included attacks on the Marshall Islands-flagged LNG carrier Al Rekayyat, the Saudi-flagged tanker Wedyan, and the Liberia-flagged Cyprus Prosperity. In retaliation for these attacks, US forces have conducted multiple strikes against Iranian military targets, hitting approximately 140 locations, including missile and drone sites, naval assets, and communication networks.
Following the escalation of hostilities, Iran declared the Strait of Hormuz closed until what it termed the cessation of US interference in the region. However, the southern route, which runs close to Oman, remains open and has been expanded to accommodate dual-direction traffic. Despite this, maritime traffic in the strait has significantly decreased, with data from the Joint Maritime Information Centre (JMIC) indicating that vessel movements plummeted to 33 on July 7 and 22 on July 8, compared to the historical average of around 138 daily transits.
The JMIC has maintained a "severe" threat level, warning vessels of potential dangers, including mines and electronic interference. Ships are advised that they can navigate the route without prior coordination, as no authority currently controls passage or imposes fees. Nevertheless, the assessment indicates that hostile actions are increasingly likely, with vessels transmitting their positions facing possible Iranian directives to divert to northern routes.
As the situation continues to develop, authorities from Cyprus, India, and Oman are closely monitoring the search for the missing crew member and the broader implications of the attack on maritime safety in the Strait of Hormuz.