News / Iranian troops seize MSC box ship while Somali pirates net $5m ransom for bulker

Photo: VesselFinder

As instability rises in the Middle East, the Israel-Palestine war now threatening to encompass Iran, a parallel escalation occurred in the Red Sea over the weekend, with MV Aries seized by Iranian marines and Somali pirates netting a $5m ransom for the release of MV Abdullah.

Footage from the deck of the 15,000 teu Madeira-flagged vessel Aries, chartered by MSC, shows Iranian Revolutionary Guard troops rappelling from a helicopter onto the deck. The incident may mark the outset of direct military ...