Welcome to the Inchcape Red Sea Situation bulletin for Friday, March 15th, regarding the situation in the Red Sea and Suez Canal.
On 25th March, we will be delivering our 2nd Global Shipping Report Webinar with Ambrey and Leth Agencies. Please register here.
Situation Update
Unfortunately, in the last week, there has continued to be a lot of activity in the Red Sea. Today at 11:53 am Ambrey reported the following, which demonstrates the challenges of sailing and gathering intelligence in the region:
- Ambrey received information of an incident 76M west of Hodeidah, Yemen. Vessels in the vicinity were advised to exercise caution and report any suspicious activity. Ambrey will provide updates as relevant.
- UPDATE 01: A merchant vessel was reportedly ‘struck by a missile’ at the location of interest. There was no injury to the crew. The vessel sustained damage. At the time of writing, the vessel continued on her journey. Ambrey updated the event to ‘physical damage.’
- UPDATE 02: A tanker was subject to a missile strike on the starboard side while underway northbound in the Red Sea, approximately 88M northwest of Hodeidah, Yemen. The vessel was listed as Israel-affiliated but had changed ownership in February 2024. There was damage, but no crew injuries were reported. The vessel was headed from Singapore and was destined for the Suez Canal at the time with non-Ambrey armed guards onboard. Her AIS transmissions were intermittent on the voyage. The day prior, she was assessed to have been the subject of a near miss 47M southeast of Aden, Yemen.
- UPDATE 03: The master corrected his initial statement that the vessel had been impacted. A daylight inspection of the vessel reportedly showed that the vessel had not been impacted by the missile and had not sustained damage.
US Centcom have reported in the last week the following on X (formerly Twitter)
- Between 6:50 a.m. on March 14 and 12:40 a.m. on March 15 (Sanaa time), Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists fired two anti-ship ballistic missiles (ASBMs) from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen toward the Gulf of Aden and two additional ASBMs towards the Red Sea. There were no injuries or damage reported to U.S. or coalition ships. Additionally, United States Central Command successfully engaged and destroyed nine anti-ship missiles and two unmanned aerial vehicles in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.
- Between 2:00 a.m. and 4:50 p.m. (Sanaa time) on March 13, Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists fired one anti-ship ballistic missile from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen into the Gulf of Aden. The missile did not impact any vessels and there were no injuries or damage reported. United States Central Command then successfully engaged and destroyed four unmanned aerial systems (UAVs) and one surface-to-air missile in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.
- Between 2:00 a.m. and 4:30 a.m. (Sanaa time) on March 12, Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists fired one close-range ballistic missile from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen toward USS Laboon in the Red Sea. The missile did not impact the vessel and there were no injuries or damage reported. United States Central Command and a coalition vessel successfully engaged and destroyed two unmanned aerial systems (UAS) launched from a Houthi-controlled area of Yemen.
- Between 8:50 a.m. and 12:50 p.m. (Sanaa time) on March 11, Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists fired two anti-ship ballistic missiles from Houthi-controlled areas of into the Red Sea toward merchant vessel Pinocchio, a Singaporean-owned, Liberian-flagged ship. The missiles did not impact the vessel and there were no injuries or damage reported. Between 2:50-11:30 p.m. (Sanaa time) on March 11, United States Central Command conducted six self-defense strikes destroying an unmanned underwater vessel and 18 anti-ship missiles in Houthi controlled areas of Yemen.
- On March 9 following further engagements through the morning, U.S. and Coalition forces downed a total of at least 28 uncrewed aerial vehicles between 4:00 a.m. and 8:20 a.m. (Sanaa time) on Mar. 9. No U.S. or Coalition Navy vessels were damaged in the attack and there were also no reports by commercial ships of damaged.
- Between 4 a.m. and 6:30 a.m. (Sanaa time) on March 9, Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists conducted a large-scale uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) attack into the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. CENTCOM and coalition forces identified the one-way attack (OWA) UAVs and determined that they presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels, U.S. Navy, and coalition ships in the region. U.S. Navy vessels and aircraft along with multiple coalition navy ships and aircraft shot down 15 OWA UAVs.
- At approximately 9:50 a.m. (Sanaa time), United States Central Command conducted a self-defense strike against two Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists’ truck-mounted anti-ship missiles in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen. At approximately 3:55 p.m. (Sanaa time), Houthi terrorists fired two anti-ship ballistic missiles from Yemen into the Gulf of Aden at M/V Propel Fortune, a Singapore-flagged, owned, and operated vessel. The missiles did not impact the vessel. There were no injuries or damages reported.
- Between the hours of 3:35 p.m. and 4:55 p.m. (Sanaa time), United States Central Command (CENTCOM) conducted self-defense strikes against four mobile Houthi anti-ship cruise missiles (ASCM) and one Houthi unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen. Additionally, during this timeframe CENTCOM forces shot down three UAVs launched from Iranian-backed Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen toward the Gulf of Aden.
Suez Canal Transits
Yesterday, there were 31 Suez Canal transits, with the average for March dropping to 36 from 39 last month. Additionally, the Suez Canal Authority announced new Circular No. 1-2024 regarding the regulations and costs of mooring boats, mooring services, and lights during vessels’ transit through the Suez Canal. Please read the announcement here.
How can Inchcape Shipping Services help?
As mentioned in previous posts Inchcape Shipping Services announced investment in Leth Agencies. For more information please read the press release. You can continue to contact issegypt@iss-shipping.com for immediate assistance or visit our network for more information.
In addition to Algeciras and Gibraltar, Inchcape Shipping Services is well established in Africa when considering to divert around the Cape of Good Hope. With 14 port offices and a network of carefully selected and vetted partners, our team of experienced agents offer top-notch support and expertise to vessels when they are in port, covering everything from crew welfare and customs formalities to fuel supply and waste management.
We provide:
- 24/7 availability with a local Inchcape representative.
- Direct liaison with the vessel on all aspects of the call when required.
- Critical local expertise and liaison with managing local authorities.
- Assist with crew logistics, including transport to and from the airport, accommodation, and medical assistance.
- Coordination and facilitation of bunker supplies, supervision and sampling.
Our team are ready to support you in Africa and Mauritius. Please contact us for a prompt PDA on these email addresses:
Mauritius: mruops@iss-shipping.com
South Africa: dbnops@iss-shipping.com
Kenya: isskenyaenquiries@iss-shipping.com
Tanzania: youriss.dar@iss-shipping.com
Nigeria: issnigeria@iss-shipping.com
Ghana: iss.ghana@iss-shipping.com
Mozambique: Yourissmozambique@iss-shipping.com
Namibia: wvbops@iss-shipping.com
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