Yearly Archives: 2024

Houthi Attack on MSC Ship in Indian Ocean Indicates Further Range

Details of the attack on the MSC Orion (158,000) were confirmed today by the maritime security forces in the region after the Houthi claimed an attack on the vessel yesterday as part of their latest barrage. The incident however is raising troubling questions as the vessel was at a much greater distance from Yemen possibly indicating the Houthi have extended the range of their drones. The UK Maritime Trade Organizations and Joint Maritime Information Center are confirming the details of the attack on the MSC Orion which came overnight on April 26 but was only announced between April 29 and 30. According to the JMIC, the vessel was in the Indian Ocean approximately 300 nautical miles east southeast of the Horn of Africa, or more than 170 nautical miles south of Socotra island. The UKMTO puts the vessel’s position up to 400 nautical miles from the mainland of Yemen.  The ship which is registered in Portugal and owned by Eyal Ofer’s Zodiac Maritime chartered to MSC reported an explosion and found some debris believed to be from a “Uncrewed Aerial System.” The ship sustained some minor damage with the report that the…

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Maersk Says “Not Yet” for Return to Red Sea Routing

Three months after starting to divert all its vessels from a passage through the Red Sea, Maersk told customers today that it is too soon in its assessment to resume its normal routes. They said the routing around Africa allows the best supply chain stability, in their assessment, saying that a switch is complex and they wanted to make sure it would be sustained over the long term and avoid further disruption. They write that they are aware that Operation Aspides has taken shape and welcome it as a positive development along with the U.S.-led efforts. Maersk writes that they are also in “continuous dialogue” and monitoring developments in the region. “Regretfully, both our internal analysis, as well as insight we received from external sources, still indicates that the risk level in the region remains elevated,” they wrote in their latest customer alert. Maersk vessels were targeted by the Houthi on two different occasions in December leading the carrier to first suspend, then resume, and then suspend again transits through the region around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The Maersk Gibraltar had a near-miss incident on December 14 leading to the…

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Report: Shadow Tankers Sail Without Danish Pilots Despite Recent Collision

There are renewed concerns that the fleet of shadow tankers carrying Russian oil continues to disregard international regulations and is creating an increasing maritime danger. The Danish Maritime Authority is confirming that one of the tankers was involved in a small accident earlier in the month as the Financial Times today published a leaked report that says the tankers are now regularly declining the services of pilots as they transit the busy shipping lanes in the Danish Straits. Concerns have been raised before about the potential of tankers attempting to navigate the narrow channels and strong currents in the Danish Strait without the country’s experienced pilots. The Danish Maritime Authority expressed concerns about the dangers of vessels traveling in the busy shipping lanes without assistance in September 2022. These concerns are being renewed and causing a political debate in Denmark in the wake of the reports that a somewhat mysterious tanker inbound to the Baltic clipped a smaller cargo ship outbound at the beginning of March. In a leaked report seen by the Financial Times and Danwatch, a Danish media group, they are asserting that at least 20 tankers were…

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