On July 12, local time, a commercial vessel was attacked in waters near the Musandam Peninsula in the Strait of Hormuz. The container ship "GFS Galaxy," flying the Cypriot flag, came under assault by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, sustaining damage and catching fire. Crew members were forced to abandon ship, resulting in casualties and a crisis in navigation along the waterway.
The "GFS Galaxy" suffered a strike at its stern that triggered a major blaze, with the engine room severely damaged and the vessel completely losing its ability to navigate. The crew was compelled to evacuate in lifeboats. Omani authorities immediately launched a rescue operation, rescuing 23 crew members, while one remains missing; search-and-rescue efforts are ongoing.
At the time of the incident, the vessel was operating on an East Asia–Middle East route, under a trilateral co‑loading arrangement among the shipping lines ONE, OOCL, and KMTC. Its itinerary covered several key Chinese ports, calling at Qingdao, Shanghai, Ningbo, Xiamen, Guangzhou Nansha, and Shenzhen Dachanwan, among others.
Following the attack, Iran announced that, due to unsafe conditions caused by illegal interference from foreign powers, the Strait of Hormuz would be closed effective immediately.
