Iranian warship capsizes during repairs off port of Bandar Abbas

The Iranian Navy’s "Sahand" destroyer was involved in an accident during repairs at a port on the coast of ​​Bandar Abbas on Sunday, with unconfirmed reports of casualties.

IRGC-affiliated Tasnim News agency reported that the 96-meter (315-foot) vessel which was being repaired at the dock, lost its balance due to water infiltration into the ballast tanks.

The warship tilted and became partially submerged, but according to state media it is now being refloated and repaired.

"As Sahand was being repaired at the wharf, it lost its balance due to water ingress. Fortunately... the vessel is being returned to balance quickly," the official news agency IRNA reported, citing a navy statement.

In an interview with Fars News Agency, Salman Zarbi, the head of Iran Shipbuilding & Offshore Industries Complex (ISOICO), said immediately after the incident that there was still a possibility of repairing and making the vessel operational.

Reports indicate that the Navy frigate Sahand was being readied for an anti-piracy patrol mission in the Indian Ocean, with parts of it now underwater.

The frigate recently led a flotilla of Iranian vessels deployed to the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden amid attacks by Iran-backed Houthis on commercial ships in the region.

Sahand is a Moudge-class frigate in the Southern Fleet of the Navy, named in memory of the sunk frigate bearing the same name of the Sahand volcano. According to state media, the Sahand joined Iran’s Navy fleet in 2018 and is equipped with cruise missiles and stealth technologies designed to evade enemy radars.

Back in 2021, extensive diplomatic campaign by the US prevented the Sahand from docking in the Western Hemisphere after it was thought to be conducting a potential arms transfer and headed to Venezuela. It was headed toward Venezuela but finally changed course in June and went towards the west coast of Africa, US officials said at the time.