Six Romanians are on board the Maersk Tigris cargo ship that was seized by the Iranian navy in the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, April 28, according to media reports.

Iranian patrol boats in the Strait of Hormuz fired on a cargo ship flying the flag of a U.S. and seized control of the vessel. According to the Iranian state television, the ship was captured based on a court order due to unspecified violations.

The U.S. Navy Central Command dispatched the destroyer USS Farragut and a reconnaissance aircraft to the area after the ship sent a distress call, according to Stars and Stripes.

No crew members have been injured. The 24 people onboard the vessel came from Britain, Bulgaria, Romania and Myanmar.

Adrian Mihalcioiu, the leader of the Free Navigators’ Union, said that six Romanians were onboard the ship and that they were not in danger, according to Digi 24.

The intercepted ship is flagged in the Marshall Islands, which are under U.S. protection. However, the cargo ship’s owner is Danish group Maersk, one of the largest global trade conglomerates in the world.

The Strait of Hormuz is one of the hottest transit points in the world. It is the route for about a fifth of the world's oil and is only about 21 miles wide at its narrowest point. Iran has threatened to block the strait in the past. American and allied naval forces routinely patrol the waterway and have conducted military drills aimed at countering threats such as sea mines that Iran might use to close the strait.

The situation in the region has become tense again, as the U.S. Senate passed a bill on Tuesday that delays the nuclear treaty with Iran.

editor@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Damietta Port Authority)