/ru/newsroom/press-releases/2026/june/msc-sariska-v-incident
2nd June 2026, Geneva, Switzerland - MSC confirms that yesterday its vessel, the MSC Sariska V, was struck by two projectiles in the port of Um-Qasr, Iraq. The first hit while the pilot was onboard as the vessel departed from port and a second impacted the crew area soon afterwards.
All crew members are safe, unharmed and acted with exceptional professionalism throughout the incident to secure the vessel, and its cargo. Based on local media reports, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) has claimed responsibility for this attack in response to US actions on the vessel Lion Star.
This retaliatory action is completely unjustified based on the allegations made by the IRGC since MSC is a neutral commercial carrier with no affiliation to the United States or Israel. Founded by Italian national Captain Gianluigi Aponte, the company is headquartered and domiciled in Switzerland and is wholly owned by his children, Diego and Alexa Aponte, both Italian nationals with no other citizenship.
MSC is deeply concerned by these unprovoked attacks and the risk they create for its innocent seafarers, and essential maritime trade in the region.
About Mediterranean Shipping Company and MSC Group
MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) is a global leader in transportation and logistics, privately owned and founded in 1970 by Gianluigi Aponte. As one of the world’s leading container shipping lines, MSC has 675 offices across 155 countries worldwide. The company has evolved from a one vessel operation into a globally respected business with a fleet of 1,000 vessels that provides timely delivery of goods and services to customers of all industries and sizes. The MSC Group’s activities now include overland transportation, logistics and a growing portfolio of port terminal operations. MSC’s shipping line sails on 300 trade routes and calls at 520 ports, carrying some 30 million TEU (twenty-foot equivalent units) annually. The MSC Group, including its passenger businesses, employs 200,000 people worldwide.
For further information, please contact:
Giles Read
Global Head of Communications for MSC Group
media@msc.com
+41 22 595 06 15
All crew members are safe, unharmed and acted with exceptional professionalism throughout the incident to secure the vessel, and its cargo. Based on local media reports, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) has claimed responsibility for this attack in response to US actions on the vessel Lion Star.
This retaliatory action is completely unjustified based on the allegations made by the IRGC since MSC is a neutral commercial carrier with no affiliation to the United States or Israel. Founded by Italian national Captain Gianluigi Aponte, the company is headquartered and domiciled in Switzerland and is wholly owned by his children, Diego and Alexa Aponte, both Italian nationals with no other citizenship.
MSC is deeply concerned by these unprovoked attacks and the risk they create for its innocent seafarers, and essential maritime trade in the region.
About Mediterranean Shipping Company and MSC Group
MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) is a global leader in transportation and logistics, privately owned and founded in 1970 by Gianluigi Aponte. As one of the world’s leading container shipping lines, MSC has 675 offices across 155 countries worldwide. The company has evolved from a one vessel operation into a globally respected business with a fleet of 1,000 vessels that provides timely delivery of goods and services to customers of all industries and sizes. The MSC Group’s activities now include overland transportation, logistics and a growing portfolio of port terminal operations. MSC’s shipping line sails on 300 trade routes and calls at 520 ports, carrying some 30 million TEU (twenty-foot equivalent units) annually. The MSC Group, including its passenger businesses, employs 200,000 people worldwide.
For further information, please contact:
Giles Read
Global Head of Communications for MSC Group
media@msc.com
+41 22 595 06 15