US-hit vessel near Strait of Hormuz was not a Curaçao ship but part of Iran's 'shadow fleet'

Was a Curaçao-flagged vessel really involved in a US military operation near the Strait of Hormuz? Authorities in Willemstad are pushing back against reports linking the Caribbean part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the incident, saying the ship in question was not lawfully registered under the Curaçao flag at all. The case raises fresh questions about the use of so-called “shadow fleet” vessels to evade international sanctions — and about how easily the identity of ships can be manipulated in one of the world’s most strategically important waterways.