Iranian commandos rappel from helicopter to seize container ship MSC Aries near Strait of Hormuz
Incident Report
Fact Sheet
| Date | 13 Apr 2024 |
| Tracker | Strait of Hormuz Tensions |
| Type | Interception |
| Location |
Strait of Hormuz
26.18, 56.25 (approximate) |
What Happened
On April 13, 2024, Iranian Revolutionary Guard commandos rappelled from a helicopter onto the Portuguese-flagged container ship MSC Aries as it transited near the Strait of Hormuz roughly 80 kilometers off the UAE coast, then diverted the vessel and its 25 crew members to Iranian waters. The ship, chartered by Mediterranean Shipping Company and linked to Zodiac Maritime, was described by Iran as Israeli-affiliated; Tehran cited unspecified maritime violations. The seizure came hours before Iran launched a large-scale drone and missile barrage at Israel. Crew members were gradually released over the following weeks.
Measured Footprint
| Series | That day | Prior 30-day avg | Week after vs before |
|---|---|---|---|
| Transits | 89 -3% | 91.6 | -16% (662 → 553) |
| Tankers | 61 +12% | 54.4 | -11% (392 → 348) |
| Cargo ships | 28 -25% | 37.2 | -24% (270 → 205) |
Daily figures from IMF PortWatch around April 13, 2024; the day's value is compared with the trailing 30-day average. Week comparisons are shown only when the series covers both full weeks.
Strait of Hormuz
Marker placed at sea area precision.
Activity Around the Incident
Commercial ship transits of the Strait of Hormuz, two weeks either side
Daily counts from IMF PortWatch; the highlighted bar is the incident day, April 13, 2024.
Incidents Around the Same Period
Nearest logged incidents
| Date | Type | Incident |
|---|---|---|
| 27 Apr 2023 | Interception | Iran seizes two tankers, Advantage Sweet and Niovi, within a week in the Strait of Hormuz area |
| 11 Jan 2024 | Interception | Iran seizes Marshall Islands-flagged tanker St Nikolas in the Gulf of Oman |
| 14 Nov 2025 | Interception | Iran's IRGC seizes Marshall Islands-flagged tanker Talara off Khor Fakkan |
| 28 Feb 2026 | Strike | US opening strikes destroy Iran's fleet at Bandar Abbas as Hormuz transits collapse |