Feature, Freight News, Logistics, Sea

Iran Seizes MSC Ships in Strait of Hormuz, Xeneta

[ April 24, 2026   //   Gary Burrows ]

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has seized two container ships operated by MSC Mediterranean Shipping Co. in the Strait of Hormuz, hours after the U.S. and Iran announced an extension of their ceasefire, according to an April 22 market update issued by Xeneta.

The vessels, the MSC Francesca and MSC Epaminondas, were detained while transiting eastbound through the strait, a critical shipping corridor linking the Persian Gulf with global trade routes.

Peter Sand, chief analyst at Xeneta, said the incident highlights ongoing risks to commercial shipping despite diplomatic developments.

“The extended ceasefire can be seen as a positive step, but there is no safe and free passage through the Strait of Hormuz,” Sand said in the Oslo-based firm’s update. “This is the weaponization of trade.”

The Strait of Hormuz accounts for a significant share of global energy and containerized trade flows – including about 20 percent of the world’s oil supply – and disruptions there have reverberated across supply chains since hostilities escalated in late February.

According to Xeneta data, vessel traffic through the strait had begun to recover in recent days. As many as 43 merchant ships transited the waterway on April 20, the highest daily total since the conflict intensified, including 10 container ships. That compares with an average of about 14 ships per day over the previous four weeks, roughly 10 percent of typical volumes.

Sand said the seizures underscore that even when transits increase, conditions remain unstable. “Even an open Strait of Hormuz is not a safe Strait of Hormuz for seafarers, ships and cargo,” he said.

Shipping lines have continued to test limited transits through the corridor while also shifting cargo to alternative routings. One such workaround has been the use of Red Sea ports such as Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, combined with overland transport into Gulf markets.

Rates on those lanes surged following the outbreak of conflict. Spot container rates from China to Jeddah are up 63 percent since Feb. 28, though they have eased 11 percent in April to US$4,969 per forty-foot equivalent unit, Xeneta said.

Analysts said the latest seizures are likely to keep risk premiums elevated and constrain a broader return to normal shipping patterns through the strait.

Tags: Merdfitrrraneran Shipping Co., Xeneta