The attack on the tanker "Kavomaleas", owned by shipowner Giorgos Prokopiou, in the Strait of Hormuz is escalating into a shipping thriller. Evidence from satellite images shows the Greek-owned tanker towed into Iranian waters, with thick smoke still rising from its engine room.
At the same time that the shipowning company states it did not authorize any movement of the vessel, analysts warn that this is a direct seizure by Iran in an attempt to permanently seal the critical maritime oil corridor.
The strike on the Kavomaleas
The "Kavomaleas" was hit by two projectiles while sailing toward the Persian Gulf off the coast of Oman on Sunday night (June 19, 2026), as part of a series of Iranian attacks against Western shipping this week, which once again brought transit through Hormuz almost to a complete standstill.
The strikes caused a fire in the engine room, forcing the crew to abandon the ship.
According to the Financial Times, satellite images from the European Space Agency from July 21 show a ship with the same dimensions and deck color as the "Kavomaleas", as well as a column of smoke rising from its engine, in Iranian waters near Larak Island off the coast of Iran. The maritime area where the vessel was struck is now empty.
"Shipping analysts stated that it is very likely the ship has been captured and towed into Iranian waters," the report highlights.
More than 10 Dynacom tankers in Hormuz
Dynacom is among the shipping companies that frequently undertake transport in areas of the world that others avoid. It has sent at least 10 tankers through the Strait of Hormuz since the US and Israel launched their attacks against Iran in February.
Prokopiou last month likened his actions to those of Greek merchants who broke the blockade between the French and the British during the Napoleonic Wars. "Greece has a tradition of breaking blockades since antiquity," he stated, adding: "I do not want to go into more detail, but I believe the hints are enough for one to understand what I mean."
The "Kavomaleas", a ship just one year old, was scheduled to pick up more than 500,000 barrels of oil in the Gulf. Vessels of its size and class usually cost around $55 million to purchase new. The satellite image also shows an oil slick trailing the ship.
Dynacom stated that any operation to move the ship was not authorized by the company and that they are "trying to verify" its location. In fact, it confirmed that another Dynacom vessel, the "Acheloos", was also hit on Sunday night (July 19, 2026) while carrying 2 million barrels of oil.
More than 45 ships have been attacked in the conflict, but this seizure would constitute only the third such capture of a vessel by the Iranians since the start of the US-Israel war with Iran.
It is noted that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) seized two container ships in April, which are managed by MSC, the largest container shipping company in the world. Negotiations for the release of the ships and crew are ongoing, according to sources with knowledge of the situation.
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