MSC Aries is a
container ship built in 2020. As of 2024 the ship is
Portuguese-registered and
Madeira-flagged. She has a length of 366 metres (1,200 ft 9 in) and a
beam of 51 metres (167 ft 4 in). It has a 149,525
gross tonnage (GT) and a summer tonnage of 158,097 tons
deadweight (DWT).[13] The ship is leased by MSC from Gortal Shipping, an affiliate of
Zodiac Maritime,[14] with MSC directing the ship’s activities.[15]
Events
On the morning of 13 April 2024,
Iran's Revolutionary Guards boarded and took control of MSC Aries via helicopter, claiming that it had violated maritime law.[14] The seizure of the ship occurred in international waters near the UAE coast.[16] The Israeli foreign minister called the Iranian action an act of international piracy, in alignment with international law. The Iranian military subsequently took the ship and its crew to Iranian waters.[17] The 25 crew members onboard comprised 17 Indians, four Filipinos, two Pakistanis, one Russian and one Estonian national.[18]
On April 27, the Iranian Foreign Minister
Hossein Amirabdollahian announced that the 24 remaining crew of MSC Aries being held hostage were given access to their respective consulates, and would be released.[19]
Reactions
Following the incident, the Israeli foreign minister called on the
European Union to sanction the IRGC.[20]Joe Biden shortened his vacation and returned to the
White House for "security consultations," and defence secretary
Lloyd Austin called the Israeli defence minister,
Yoav Gallant, and said Israel can rely on the United States.[21]
^Guilfoyle, Douglas, ed. (30 April 2013). "Chapter 14: Policy tensions and the legal regime governing piracy". Modern Piracy: Legal Challenges and Responses. Edward Elgar Publishing. pp. 325–366.
ISBN9781849804844.