US military forces disabled the Panama-flagged cargo ship Vela Nova on August 11 after the vessel allegedly ignored repeated warnings to stop while attempting to breach a US naval blockade of Iranian ports.

US Central Command said a US Navy MH-60 Sea Hawk helicopter fired two Hellfire missiles at the ship’s engine room, leaving Vela Nova without steering capability. The action followed attempts by US forces to prevent the vessel from continuing its voyage, according to the source report.

The incident occurred before dawn while the cargo ship was sailing westbound through the Gulf of Oman, maritime security firm Vanguard reported. The vessel was approximately 71 nautical miles off Pakistan when it was struck.

A fire broke out following the attack but was subsequently extinguished. All 17 crew members aboard Vela Nova were accounted for, according to reporting cited from The Wall Street Journal. There were no immediate reports of casualties.

The crew later appeared to be preparing to transfer from the disabled ship to another civilian vessel. No further details were provided regarding the condition of Vela Nova, the identity of the receiving vessel or the intended destination of the crew.

CENTCOM presented the incident as part of wider enforcement activity connected to the blockade. The command said that, as of August 11, it had redirected 55 commercial vessels allegedly attempting to run the blockade. It also reported disabling three vessels described as non-compliant and boarding two others.

The supplied information does not provide details about Vela Nova’s cargo, ownership, operator, departure point or intended destination. It also does not state what specific instructions were issued to the ship before the missiles were fired, beyond the allegation that repeated warnings to stop were ignored.

No statement from the vessel’s owner, operator, flag administration or crew was included in the source material. The report likewise did not provide information on any subsequent investigation, detention or legal proceedings arising from the incident.