News for the seafarers
By Jonathan Saul LONDON, Nov 29 (Reuters) – Commercial ships face increasing dangers at sea after armed groups have attacked and seized vessels in waters around the Red Sea and off the…
There has been a surge of attacks and threats targeting Israel-linked ships, including one incident where the U.S. Navy came to the rescue.
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Following three attacks on vessels linked to Israel, a container ship operated by Israeli ocean carrier Zim has changed course and is taking the long way around Africa rather than transiting the Suez Canal and passing through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait off Yemen.
Ship position data from MarineTraffic shows that the Zim Europe, en route from Boston to Port Klang, Malaysia, passed through the Strait of Gibraltar and entered the Mediterranean on Friday. It continued due east until it was between Oran, Algeria, and Cartagena, Spain, then did an about-face on Saturday afternoon.
The container ship — which has a capacity of 5,618 twenty-foot equivalent units — headed back out to the Atlantic and down the west coast of Africa. As of Monday, it had passed Casablanca, Morocco, and was headed south at 16 knots.
The voyage from the Strait of Gibraltar to Port Klang via the Cape of Good Hope is 56% longer than via the Suez Canal.
“In light of the threat to safe transit of global trade in the Arabian and Red Seas, Zim is taking temporary proactive measures to ensure the safety of its crews, vessels, and customers’ cargo by re-routing some of its vessels,” said the company on Monday.
“As a result of these measures, longer transit times in the relevant Zim services are anticipated, though every effort is being made to minimize disruptions.”
On Saturday, the product tanker Central Park was ordered by Yemen’s Houthi rebels to divert to Yemen’s port in Hodeida. The Central Park is managed by Zodiac Maritime, a company headed by Israeli shipping magnate Eyal Ofer.
The Central Park was told by the U.S. Navy destroyer USS Thomas Hudner to ignore the demand and continue its voyage, according to security company Ambrey.
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed that on Sunday, the U.S. Navy destroyer USS Mason received a distress call from the Central Park, saying it was under attack.
“Upon arrival, coalition elements demanded release of the vessel,” said CENTCOM. “Subsequently, five armed individuals debarked the ship and attempted to flee via their small boat. The Mason pursued the attackers, resulting in their eventual surrender.”
Early on Monday, “two ballistic missiles were fired from the Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen toward the general location of the USS Mason and Central Park,” said CENTCOM. “The missiles landed in the Gulf of Aden approximately 10 nautical miles from the ships.”
A new plot twist emerged later on Monday. A Pentagon press spokesperson told reporters that the five men who surrendered were not Houthis, they were Somali pirates.
This implies that either Somali pirates coincidentally hijacked a ship that was simultaneously being targeted by the Houthis due to its Israeli ties — or there is some other explanation, the most likely being that the Somali pirates planned to deliver the ship to the Houthis.
The boarding of the Central Park followed two other recent attacks on Israeli-linked vessels.
On Friday, the 15,264-TEU CMA CGM Symi was hit by an Iranian “kamikaze” drone in the Indian Ocean. A U.S. official told The Associated Press that there was damage to the ship but no injuries. The vessel is leased by French ocean carrier CMA CGM from Eastern Pacific, a company controlled by Israeli shipping billionaire Idan Ofer, Eyal Ofer’s brother.
On Nov. 19, the car carrier Galaxy Leader was hijacked by paramilitary forces descending from a helicopter. Video of the assault was posted on X, formerly Twitter, by Ahmed Saree, the spokesman of the Houthi army. The ship is now at anchorage off Hodeida.
The Galaxy Leader’s ownership is linked to Israeli businessman Abraham “Rami” Ungar. The ship’s 25 crewmembers — who are mainly Filipino — remain detained. Two other car carriers operated by Ungar’s Ray Shipping diverted their voyages after the Galaxy Leader hijacking, according to MarineTraffic.
On Saturday, the same day the Zim Europe changed course and headed around Africa, Saree posted a cryptic one-word tweet: “ZIM.”
Zim (NYSE: ZIM), whose stock hit a new all-time low Monday, is the most visible of the Israeli shipping companies and the most closely connected with the government. The government of Israel has a “golden share” or “special state share” in the company that ensures the government’s access to Zim’s fleet “in a time of emergency or for national security purposes.”
Social media and the Arab press have featured numerous false reports of Houthi attacks on Zim vessels over recent days. “We have seen several fake reports on social media. All Zim vessels are safe and accounted for,” Zim spokesperson Avner Shats told FreightWaves.
The Israeli liner operator has three services that transit the Bab el-Mandeb Strait: ZIM India Israel (ZII), ZIM India Turkiye (ZIT) and ZIM Mediterranean Premium Service (ZMP).
The ZII service uses space aboard vessels of Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC). The ZIT service also uses space aboard MSC vessels, plus one CMA CGM ship.
The ZMP service is more problematic from a security perspective, as it uses multiple vessels with the word “ZIM” painted on the hull, including the Zim Europe. The ZMP service also uses chartered vessels that are not as easily identifiable as Zim tonnage, including one that was in the Red Sea and heading for the Bab el-Mandeb Strait on Monday.
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The post Zim container ship diverts as threat to Israel-linked vessels mounts appeared first on FreightWaves.
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The Navy helped the United Kingdom Royal Navy confiscate a weapons shipment from Iran, Naval Forces Central Command announced Thursday. U.S. forces worked with the Royal Navy to provide airborne support, including reconnaissance and surveillance, in the Gulf of Oman, according to a news release from Naval Forces Central Command. The assistance helped U.K. frigate […]
Anti-tank guided missiles and medium-range ballistic missile components seized by the United Kingdom Royal Navy sit pierside during inventory at a military facility in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations on Feb. 26, 2023. U.S. Army Photo
The Navy helped the United Kingdom Royal Navy confiscate a weapons shipment from Iran, Naval Forces Central Command announced Thursday.
U.S. forces worked with the Royal Navy to provide airborne support, including reconnaissance and surveillance, in the Gulf of Oman, according to a news release from Naval Forces Central Command. The assistance helped U.K. frigate HMS Lancaster (F229) confiscate anti-tank guided missiles and medium-range ballistic missile components from a small boat.
The boat’s origins were traced back to Iran, according to the release. On the boat were Dehlavieh missiles, the Iranian equivalent of the Russian 9M133 Kornet anti-tank guided missiles.The U.S. and U.K. forces intercepted the boat along a route historically used to illegally traffic weapons to Yemen, according to the release.
The sale or transfer of weapons to Houthis in Yemen is a violation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2216 and international law, the release noted.
This is the seventh time illegal Iranian weapons or drugs were intercepted in the last three months, exemplifying increased Iranian maritime activity, U.S. 5th Fleet commander Vice Adm. Brad Cooper said in the release.
“We will continue to work with our partners in pursuing any destabilizing activity that threatens regional maritime security and stability,” Cooper said.
In the past three months, the U.S. and partners have captured more than 5,000 weapons as part of the seven interdictions, according to the release. Other weapons and materials seized include 1.6 million rounds of ammunition, 7,000 rocket proximity fuses, 2,100 kilograms of propellant, 30 anti-tank missiles and $80 million in illegal drugs.
HODEIDAH, Yemen, Feb 26 (Reuters) – A container ship carrying general commercial goods docked at Yemen’s main port of Hodeidah for the first time since at least 2016 on Saturday as parties in Yemen’s eight-year war are in ta…