Estonian resident among crew of the ship seized by Iran near Strait of Hormuz

An official slides down a rope during a helicopter raid on MSC Aries ship at sea in this screen grab obtained from a social media video released on April 13, 2024. Photo: VIDEO OBTAINED BY REUTERS / Scanpix

The Estonian Foreign Ministry said on Sunday afternoon it has been confirmed that there is a resident of Estonia on board the ship that was captured in the Strait of Hormuz early on Saturday.

«We have received confirmation that there is an Estonian resident on board the ship captured by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard in the Strait of Hormuz,» Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said. «We have contacted the individual's family and together with our partners we are implementing the measures at our disposal to ensure that the Iranian authorities release the crew of the ship, including the Estonian resident, and they can return home,» he said.

Early Saturday, commandos from Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard rappelled from a helicopter onto an Israeli-affiliated container ship near the Strait of Hormuz and seized the vessel. Iran's state-run IRNA said a special forces unit of the Guard's navy carried out the attack on the Portuguese-flagged MSC Aries, a container ship associated with London-based Zodiac Maritime, the Associated Press said.

Zodiac Maritime is part of Israeli billionaire Eyal Ofer's Zodiac Group. Zodiac declined to comment and referred questions to MSC. Geneva-based MSC acknowledged the seizure and said 25 crew members were on the ship.

«We are working closely with the relevant authorities to ensure their well-being, and safe return of the vessel,» MSC said.

A White House National Security Council spokesperson said the crew was made up of Indian, Filipino, Pakistani, Russian and Estonian nationals and urged Iran to release them and the vessel.