"Due to Iran's ongoing blockade and attempts to seize or disrupt shipping lanes, the U.S. military deploys small units"like the Marines Battalion Landing Team involved in this incident"directly onto vulnerable commercial and logistics ships. These teams act as on-board security details to prevent Iranian forces from boarding or hijacking the vessels"

"The U.S. military relies heavily on a fleet of civilian-crewed, U.S.-contracted commercial cargo ships and oil tankers to transport fuel, ammunition, and supplies to forces deployed throughout the Middle East. Because these ships carry vital military logistics but lack the heavy armor and organic defense systems of a standard Navy destroyer, Marine units are frequently stationed on board to defend them."