Ship seized off coast of UAE near Strait of Hormuz may have been 'floating armory': report

Iranian forces seized a vessel 38 nautical miles off the UAE coast early Thursday, a brazen provocation occurring just as President Donald Trump. Xi Jinping met in Beijing discussing key issues like the Strait of Hormuz.

A ship was seized off the coast of the United Arab Emirates (UAE)near the Strait of Hormuzon Thursday morning. the British military reported.

The ship was boarded. "taken by unauthorized personnel" while it was roughly 38 nautical miles northeast of the United Arab Emirates’ oil export terminal Fujairah, theUnited KingdomMaritime Trade Operations (UKMTO)reported Thursday.

UKMTO spotted the ship heading towardIranian territorial watersafter the seizure, it reported Thursday.

British authorities did not release information on who the ship belonged to or who seized it. Despite the lack of official corroboration,the BBC reportedthat the Honduras-flagged Hui Chuan wasseized in the Straiton Thursday.

CARGO SHIP ATTACKED BY SMALL CRAFT NEAR STRAIT OF HORMUZ, UK MARITIME AGENCY SAYS

Ships are anchored in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas in southern Iran on May 4. A report on May 15 said a ship was seized off the coast of the United Arab Emirates. is being brought toward Iranian waters.(Amirhossein Khorgooei/ISNA/AFP)

Citing the risk-management company Vanguard. the BBC reported that the ship's operators told Vanguard that the Hui Chuan was operating as a "floating armory" for ships in the Strait todefend themselves from pirates.

A container ship sits at anchor in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas. Iran, as a motorboat passes in the foreground on May 2, 2026.(Amirhosein Khorgooi/ISNA via AP)

At least two other ships have already beenseized in the Strait of Hormuzsince February.

IRAN SAYS ITS SMALL SUBS DEPLOYED TO STRAIT OF HORMUZ AS EXPERT EXPLAINS THREAT: ‘VULNERABLE TO DETECTION’

A cargo ship sails in the Persian Gulf toward the Strait of Hormuz on April 22, 2026.(AP Photo)

In April, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) seized the Panamanian-flaggedMSC Francesca and the Epaminondesships in the Strait.

Fox News Digital contacted UKMTO and Vanguard for further information but did not immediately receive a response.