IRGC Navy says LPG tanker NV Sunshine struck in Strait of Hormuz

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy said in a statement on Friday that a large liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) carrier, the NV Sunshine, was struck several hours earlier on Thursday. According to the statement, the vessel belongs to the company Natwit.

The IRGC Navy said the ship had been attempting to pass through what it described as an "illegal route" in the south of the Strait of Hormuz at the time it was hit. The statement said the vessel subsequently caught fire in its engine room and its propulsion system.

The Strait of Hormuz is a strategically significant waterway through which a substantial share of global seaborne oil and gas shipments passes. The IRGC Navy's account did not provide further details on the extent of the damage, the condition of the crew, or the vessel's current status.

No independent confirmation of the incident was immediately available in the statement. The IRGC Navy characterized the action as part of a mission, without elaborating on the scope or objectives of that mission.

According to Mehr News, the IRGC Navy issued the statement on Friday describing the targeting of the NV Sunshine, an LPG carrier owned by Natwit, and said the vessel had been using a route south of the Strait of Hormuz that the force deemed illegal before it was struck and caught fire in its engine room and propulsion system.