U.S. Marines in Arabian Sea board and search commercial ship suspected of violating U.S. blockade

U.S. Marines on Tuesday boarded a container ship in the Arabian Sea that was suspected of attempting to slip through the U.S. blockade in the Strait of Hormuz. 

After conducting a search, the Marines confirmed that the ship's voyage wouldn't stop in Iranian ports and the ship was allowed to proceed, according to U.S. Central Command. 

U.S. Marines from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit carried out the operation. The ship was the M/V Blue Star III, which operates under the flag of Comoros. 

According to CENTCOM, 39 vessels have been redirected to ensure compliance with the blockade. On Friday, a yacht connected to a sanctioned Russian oligarch and flying the Russian flag managed to get through the blockade.