Drone attacks on the ports of Jebel Ali and Duqm, and a Palau-flagged tanker reported hit off Oman
Over 750 commercial vessels reported to be inside the Strait of Hormuz as the US and Israel attack Iran
Photo- CMA CGM San Antonio u-turning from exiting the Persian GulfCREDIT: SCREENSHOT FROM POLE STAR GLOBAL
Following the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a US-Israel attack Iran has responded with more drone and missile attacks in the Arabian Gulf including on ports.
UKMTO said that it had received multiple reports from Company Security Officers from vessels operating in the Persian Gulf broadcasts VHF Channel 16 by the Iranians claiming that the Strait of Hormuz is closed. A copy of such purported broadcast heard by Seatrade Maritime News said that no ship was allowed to pass the Strait of Hormuz.
The Joint Maritime Information Center said that there had been no official notice of closure of the Strait. However, shipping companies are taking the security threat seriously with vessels either turning back from exiting the Persian Gulf or away from it before arriving.
On 28 February Skytek, a provider of intelligence services to marine insurance, said on a post on X that over 100 container ships, 450 oil and gas tankers and 200 bulk carriers were currently inside the Strait of Hormuz.
Reuters reported several tanker owners, oil majors and trading houses as suspending shipments through the Strait. Two major container lines have also publicly announced the suspension of transits of the Strait of Hormuz.
Hapag-Lloyd said it was suspending all vessel transits of the Strait of Hormuz until further notice.
CMA CGM said: “All vessels inside Persian Gulf, and bound to Persian Gulf, have been instructed with immediate effect to proceed to shelter.”
Lars Jensen, Founder of Vespucci Maritime posted on LinkedIn about five container vessels tracked on AIS that had been enroute to exit the Gulf on 28 February that turned around, including three from CMA CGM. Jensen noted five other vessels that had turned around before entering the Gulf.
Shipping traffic in Strait of Hormuz on 28 Feb at time of publicationCREDIT: SCREENSHOT FROM POLESTAR GLOBAL PURPLETRAC
On Sunday 1 March Iran’s Revolutionary Guards vowed to launch what they described as the “most ferocious” operation in history against Israel and US bases in the region following the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Strikes on 1 March have included ports in Dubai and Oman.
The Dubai authorities confirmed that debris from the aerial interception of a drone cause a fire at one of the berths of Jebel Ali port. “Dubai Civil Defense teams responded immediately and are continuing efforts to fully extinguish the fire. No injuries have been reported,” Dubai Media Office said in a post on X.
According to Inchcape Shipping Services port operations at Jebel Ali have been suspended.
Facilities at the Port of Duqm in Oman was also targeted by two drone according to Vanguard, citing reports from Oman’ Official News Agency. One drone was reported to have hit workers accommodation injuring an expatriate work while a second drone fell near fuel tanks at
Oman’s Maritime Security Center said in a post on X that the Palau-flagged oil tanker Skylight had been targeted 5 nm north of Khasab Port. The crew of 20 – comprising 15 Indian nationals and five Iranians – have been evacuated and four were reported to have received “varying injuries” and transferred for medical treatment.
According to Pole Star Global’s PurpleTrac the 11,622 dwt Skylight was sanctioned by the US Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC ) in December last year as was the vessel’s manager Red Sea Ship Management.
SEATRADE MARITIME
