Yemeni Coast News

Attacks from Houthi-controlled Yemen struck two Liberian-flagged ships in the Bab al-Mandab Strait on Friday, a U.S. defense official said, underlining the threat to vessels in shipping lanes being targeted by the Iran-aligned group.Danish shipping company A.P. Moller-Maersk said it would pause all container shipments through the Red Sea until further notice. German container line Hapag Lloyd said it was considering a similar move.A projectile, believed to be a drone, struck one of the Liberian-flagged vessels, the German-owned Al Jasrah, causing a fire but no injuries, the U.S.

An Iranian fishing vessel, Almeraj 1, was reportedly hijacked by Somali pirates in November 2023. According to media reports, the pirates demanded US$400,000 in ransom and threatened to use the Iranian ship for additional hijackings if the payment was not made.Two days later, other Somali pirates hijacked a tanker, Central Park, off the Yemeni coast. The tanker sent a distress signal during the attack. Forces from a nearby American warship captured the pirates as they tried to…

The United States Navy and security partners will patrol Middle East waters with 100 unmanned vessels next year to improve deterrence against attacks, like those presented by Iran, the U.S. Fifth Fleet commander said on Monday.The region is vital for global trade, especially oil supplies that flow out of the Gulf via the Strait of Hormuz.There have been high-seas confrontations between U.S. and Iranian forces with attacks on oil tankers in Gulf waters in 2019. Sanctions-hit Iran denied accusations of responsibility.Last year the U.S.

Yemeni Houthi forces seized a "suspect vessel" in the Red Sea but will release it if it proves to belong to South Korea after legal procedures are completed, a senior Houthi official said on Monday.The official spoke after the Saudi-led military coalition fighting the Iran-aligned Houthis in Yemen since 2015 accused the group of "hijacking" a vessel that had been towing a South Korean drilling rig.The senior Houthi official, Mohammed Ali al-Houthi told Reuters: "Yemeni coast guards...are checking to see whether (the vessel) belongs to the countries of aggression or to South Korea, in which case it will be released after completing legal procedures. The crews are being well treated."(Reporting by Aziz El Yaakoubi Editing by Mark Heinrich)

Unknown assailants who opened fire on a gas tanker last week off the coast of Yemen were also carrying a "substantial amount of explosives", the vessel's owner said on Thursday, and a maritime source said it may have been an attempted suicide attack. Security experts said the new details of the Oct. 25 incident would heighten concerns for shipping in the narrow Bab al-Mandab waterway at the entrance to the Red Sea, a major choke point in the world oil trade. In an initial statement last week, shipping group Teekay said its LNG (liquefied natural gas) tanker Galicia Spirit had "experienced a suspected piracy attack" but no one had managed to board it. In an update on Thursday, Teekay said it had now conducted an investigation with security experts.

Unknown assailants attacked a gas tanker off the coast of Yemen close to the Bab al-Mandab waterway in the latest flare up in an area through which much of the world's oil passes, shipping and security officials said on Wednesday. The incident, the first attack on a commercial ship since July, followed missile attacks in recent weeks on military craft, including U.S. navy vessels, which were launched from Yemen that had already raised risks for merchant shipping. Shipping group Teekay said its LNG (liquefied natural gas) tanker Galicia Spirit "experienced a suspected piracy attack whilst off the coast of Yemen" on Oct. 25. "No third parties managed to board the vessel during the incident and all crew members are safe and have been accounted for," Teekay said in a statement.

Yemen is establishing a maritime security zone along the country's 2,500 kilometre-long coastline to deter illegal immigrants from entering the country, reports The Middle East Monitor. The zone encompasses around 30 per cent of Yemen's territorial waters as determined by internationally-agreed limits, says the head of the Yemeni Coast Guard, Brigadier Ahmed Subhi. Coast Guard personnel are patrolling around the clock to maintain the secure waters. According to Subhi, the illegal migrants to Yemen usually originate in Africa. Those who are apprehended are handed over to the offices of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Deputy…

Vice Adm. John Miller, U.S. Navy, commander, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT), U.S. 5th Fleet, Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) , spoke to delegates attending the IQPC Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) Middle East 2013 conference just after participating in the 8th International Institute For Strategic Studies (IISS) Manama Dialogue to discuss the development and implementation of regional security and provided a platform for leaders from more than 30 countries to engage in inter-governmental dialogue on sensitive regional issues.

Attendees at the IQPC Offshore Patrol Vessels Middle East 2013 conference, which concluded on Dec. 11, agreed that that the safety and security of maritime commerce in the Arabian Gulf, Res Sea and their approaches, is an international responsibility shared by regional and international partners. The conference was chaired by Rear Admiral (R) Ahmed Al Sabab Al Teneiji, former chief of naval forces for the UAE Navy. The event focused on regional security cooperation; offshore patrol vessel design, procurement and operations; coastal surveillance; and maritime domain awareness.

Attendees at the IQPC Offshore Patrol Vessels Middle East 2013 conference agree that what happens at sea in the Arabian Gulf and the Middle East has implications that ripple, or more correctly rumble throughout the globe. Speakers and panelists underscored the importance of maritime domain awareness and security for military, commercial, legal and environmental reasons, and how they are all connected. The IQPC Offshore Patrol Vessel conference at the Jumeirah at Etihad Towers in Abu Dhabi is being attended by naval, coast guard, security, and other maritime and military professionals.

Twenty-two hostages seized by pirates nearly three years ago have been freed from the Panama-flagged 'MV Iceberg One'. Authorities in Somalia's semi-autonomous region of Puntland informed the BBC that their maritime force began the operation to free the hostages - and their ship - nearly two weeks ago. The Panama-flagged MV Iceberg One was seized off the Yemeni coast in 2009, and was being held near Gara'ad village on the coast in Mudug region when Puntland's maritime troops surrounded it on 10 December.

The EU Naval Force Flagship ESPS Patino located a Yemeni registered dhow that was suspected of being involved in acts of piracy off the Somali coast. The previous day a merchant vessel had reported that it had evaded an attack by two skiffs. As she was close by, ESPS Patino was tasked to investigate the scene, and when her helicopter arrived, it located a capsized skiff, with suspected pirates embarking onto the Yemini dhow. The dhow was confirmed as a suspected mother ship, previously observed at a pirate anchorage. Authorisation was given for a team from Patino to board the dhow.

On September 15, while on an anti piracy escort mission in the Gulf of Aden, Indian Naval Ship Delhi successfully neutralized another pirate boat, the third in four days, while escorting Merchant Vessels. Deployed in the Gulf of Aden since mid July 2010, INS Delhi was escorting 06 merchant vessels with a cumulative strength of 40 Indians amongst the 147 crew on board the six ships. At about 1000h on September 15 in a position 108km South of the Yemeni Coast, in the IRTC (International Recommended Transit Corridor), a dhow was detected approaching the formation. The dhow was intercepted and boarded by a team of Marine Commandos. A cache of arms including a 7.62 mm rifle, 06 Rocket Propelled Grenades (RPGs) and ammunition was found on board the dhow. The dhow was disarmed.

The General Cargo vessel, M/V Rim is reported to have been hijacked the morning of Feb. 3 in the Gulf of Aden to the north of the Internationally Recommended Transit Corridor (IRTC). M/V Rim is not registered with MSC HOA and has had no communications with UKMTO. The Rim was in the North West area of the Gulf of Aden just south of the Yemeni coast. The Coaster is a general cargo ship of 4,800 tonnes, North Korean flagged and owned by White Sea Shipping of Libya. A coalition ship USS Porter that works closely with EU NAVFOR and a helicopter from USS Farragut, both of CMF CTF 151, confirmed that the Rim had been hijacked. There are no reports of the composition or nationalities of the M/V Rim that has now altered course and is heading towards the Somali Basin.

Contrary to the romanticized portrayal of pirates that have populated folk tales and captured youngsters' imaginations, modern-day pirates pose a clear and present threat to lives, commerce and the environment as they lurk over shipping lanes attacking ships and crew without regard for nationality or cargo. Piracy in the Gulf of Aden not only poses a threat to global commerce, but also threatens aid delivery by the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) to victims of the ongoing civil war in Somalia.

A report from the Wall Street Journal said that Pirates who seized a Saudi supertanker loaded with $100 million in crude oil anchored the ship within sight of impoverished Somali fishing villages Tuesday, Nov. 18. NATO said it would not divert any of its three warships from the Gulf of Aden and the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet also said it did not expect to send ships to try to intercept the MV Sirius Star. Meanwhile, pirates hijacked a Hong Kong-owned, Iranian-operated cargo ship in the Gulf of Aden near the Yemeni coast. (Source: The Wall Street Journal)

USS Russell (DDG 59) responded to a vessel in distress between , and the Yemeni coast in the June 8. A Combined Task Force (CTF) 150 air asset notified Russell of the small boat's distress call. Russell, operating nearby, proceeded at maximum speed and arrived on-scene to assist the vessel. The 45-foot small boat experienced serious engine problems, leaving it unable to operate at sea, and had been adrift for two days. There were approximately 70 personnel on board the vessel, some of whom were in need of immediate medical attention. Seven personnel were transferred to Russell and treated for severe dehydration and malnutrition. The vessel was also re-provisioned for the night and Russell is towing it towards where the small boat and patients will be turned over to Somali authorities.

Coalition forces recently completed a coordinated operation in the Gulf of Aden and Horn of Africa to deter and disrupt activities and incidents that affect maritime security and stability. "Coalition efforts build a lawful maritime order for regional security," said Commodore Keith Winstanley, Royal Navy, Deputy Combined Maritime Forces. Units from coalition forces included HMCS Charlottetown (FFH 339), a Canadian Halifax class frigate; RFA Argus (A 135), a Royal Navy Aviation training ship; and USS Carney (DDG 64), an American Arleigh Burke Class Destroyer, as well as air assets. The coalition forces also worked alongside Yemen Coast Guard forces and representatives from the United Nations High Commission for Refugees…

Dubai Drydocks is reporting a very busy period with a total of 25 ships currently in for repair, a full order book for December and future bookings already in place for January 2005. The two largest current projects both involve grounding damage repairs, the larger ships being World-Wide (Singapore)’s 275,993 dwt VLCC Taos, which ran aground in South East Asia and will require some 500 tons of steel renewal over a 43 day period. The smaller ship undergoing grounding damage repairs is the IRISL’s 37,875 dwt containership Iran Ardebil, which ran aground on her maiden voyage off the Yemeni coast. Following a difficult salvage operation the vessel was towed to Dubai, where some 400 tons of steel renewal is required.

As part of the ongoing cooperation between the Governments of Yemen and the United States, a team of technicians from the U.S. Coast Guard will visit Yemen’s Coast Guard to train trainers in nautical skills related to engine and fiberglass hull repair, according to a press release. As part of the training, the Yemen Coast Guard will make an inventory of all spare parts to ensure that an adequate supply is on hand for any future requirements of the fleet. Col Frank Molinari, chief of the US Office of Military Cooperation located at the US Embassy, noted that the current training in engine and hull repair will increase the operational readiness of the Yemeni Coast Guard fleet, and provide them with the capacity to conduct independent training for future Coast Guard engineers.