U.S. Troops Search Containership Suspected of Violating Iran Blockade
U.S. Central Command is reporting that it intercepted a small containership, Blue Star 3 (4,259 dwt), which it suspected was attempting to breach the blockade of Iran. The ship, which is not sanctioned but appears to be stateless, was released according to CENTCOM after they confirmed the ship would not be going to Iran.
The video released by CENTCOM shows U.S. troops fast roping onto the deck of the vessel in the Arabian Sea. The troops can be seen entering the bridge of the ship.
Built in 1995 and operating for a company listed as being based in Oman since 2021, the ship has gone through multiple flags and is currently listed as stateless. It was previously registered in Comoros until 2024, and in 2021 claimed flags both in Tanzania and Niue (a self-governing, South Pacific island nation).
The ship has a capacity of 215 TEU, and in the images, a few containers are visible. Its AIS signal shows the ship was coming from Port Qasim, Pakistan.
Earlier today in the Arabian Sea, U.S. Marines from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit boarded M/V Blue Star III, a commercial ship suspected of attempting to transit to Iran in violation of the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports. U.S. forces released the vessel after conducting a… pic.twitter.com/UFx329OsHj
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) April 28, 2026
CENTCOM reports Marines from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit boarded the Blue Star 3. They conducted a search and confirmed the ship would not call in Iran before releasing the ship.
The U.S. is reporting that 39 vessels have been redirected to ensure compliance with Donald Trump’s ordered blockade of Iranian ports and Iranian ships. This is up from 34 that they reported late last week. Windward AI reported as of Monday that six VLCCs and one Suezmax operating without AIS remain in a cluster near Chabahar, outside the U.S. blockade zone.
that matters most
Get the latest maritime news delivered to your inbox daily.
Yesterday, CENTCOM released a picture of the tanker Stream (317,534 dwt), which it said had been intercepted by USS Rafael Peralta, a guided-missile destroyer. The U.S. asserted the Iranian-flagged tanker was attempting to reach Iran on April 26. It was last spotted off Malaysia after likely making an oil transfer bound for China.
Trump continues to assert that the blockade will be maintained until there is a signed peace agreement.