Iran’s naval forces said they seized two Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC)-operated container vessels sailing through the Strait of Hormuz early Wednesday, less than a day after the U.S. extended its two-week ceasefire with the Islamic republic.

According to a statement post the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)-linked account @WarMessage_IR on X that was shared by IRGC-affiliated Tasnim News Agency, the MSC Francesca and Epaminodes were both taken and transferred to Iran’s coast.

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The two “violating” ships “had endangered maritime security by operating without the necessary permits and tampering with navigation systems,” according to the account.

A third container ship, the Euphoria, operated by Dubai-based container line Silmar Shipping, was also attacked later in the morning. According to vessel tracking data, the ship continued to sail through to anchor at the U.A.E.’s Khor Fakkan Port in the Gulf of Oman.

The British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) Centre reported three incidents in accordance with the attacks.

In the first incident reported 15 nautical miles northeast of Oman, the UKTMO said the container ship was fired upon by an IRGC gun boat, which caused heavy damage to the bridge. All crew were reported safe, with no fires or environmental impact recorded.

This matches with the Epaminodes, with Greece-based owner Technomar Shipping corroborating the crew’s safety and bridge damage with the Associated Press.

Tasnim News defended the move in a social media post, saying the vessel “ignored repeated warnings.”

UKMTO received a second report, but no warning was issued. The third report took place eight nautical miles west of Iran, with all crew members safe. No damage was reported.

Sourcing Journal reached out to MSC.

Despite the U.S. claims of a ceasefire extension, Iranian officials say they have no plans to negotiate. The U.S. has maintained its naval blockade of Iran’s ports and coastline amid the tenuous ceasefire, furthering the uncertainty that remains surrounding the peace talks.

Reports earlier this week indicated that six MSC ships had passed through the strait Saturday, as dozens of vessels sought to capitalize on a brief period after both President Donald Trump and Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the passage was safe to travel without interruption.

Later that day, a CMA CGM container ship was hit with a projectile, with Iran’s joint military command indicating that the strait had returned to its previous state.

Analysis conducted by MarineTraffic indicates it is unlikely the two MSC-operated container ships were transiting together with the other four vessels, which exited the area successfully.

Although initial reports suggested the MSC Francesca and Epaminodes were part of that convoy, the two vessels appear to have followed a different route and were trailing behind the rest.

Both vessels had been stuck in the Persian Gulf since the start of the conflict on Feb. 28.

Epaminondas, an MSC-chartered 6,690-TEU vessel deployed on the Indusa service connecting India and the U.S. East Coast, had departed the U.A.E.’s Port of Jebel Ali on March 4 before idling in the gulf, and was scheduled to stop at India’s Mundra Port Wednesday.

The 11,336-TEU MSC Francesca had left Saudi Arabia’s Dammam Port on March 5, and had been set to travel to the Hambantota Port in Sri Lanka. The vessel operates on the Himalaya Express service linking India, the Persian Gulf and the Mediterranean.

The remaining four vessels—the MSC Clara, the MSC Grace, the MSC Margrit XIII and the MSC Madeline—had routed closer to the Omani coast before turning off their AIS transponders. The ships reappeared off the Indian coast on Monday.

MSC had suspended all cargo bookings to the Middle East on March 1, immediately after the outset of the war in Iran. Soon after, the company declared “end of voyage” for cargo to and from the Persian Gulf. This clause tacked on a surcharge of $800 per container to cover the costs to deviate from the initial port call, including local handling, storage and customs.

As MSC and other ocean carriers monitor the security situation at the Hormuz, the high freight rates that resulted from the restriction of traffic are seeing their first signs of easing.

While average ocean container shipping spot rates from China to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia are up 63 percent since the conflict began in late February, according to Xeneta, they have fallen 11 percent during April to $4,969 per 40-foot container.

“In Jeddah, one of the go-to alternative ports for shippers, we see inevitable port congestion caused by the land bridge bottleneck, but we also see that rates have spiked and are starting to ease,” said Peter Sand, chief analyst at Xeneta. “This shows the workarounds are functioning for food and essential cargo into Middle East, but land bridges are constrained in terms of what kind and volume of goods they can handle, so shippers are still managing severe supply chain disruption.”

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