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Tuesday, April 23, 2024
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Coalition News

11 Apr 2024

Insights: Jennifer Carpenter, President & CEO, American Waterways Operators

Jennifer Carpenter, President & CEO, American Waterways Operators (Photo: AWO)

Jennifer Carpenter joined The American Waterways Operators (AWO), the national trade association representing the inland and coastal tugboat, towboat and barge industry, in August 1990 and became its president and CEO in January 2020. She highlights some of the greatest focus areas for the 80-year-old trade group—simultaneously looking at both the present day and the road ahead.The towboat, tug and barge industry is in a period of rapid evolution. How is AWO—now in its 80th year…

10 Apr 2024

US Forces Engage Houthi UAVs

U.S.Forces, Allies conduct joint strikes in Yemen (Source: CENTCOM)

The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement that its forces had successfully engaged three unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) launched from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen over the Gulf of Aden and Red Sea.There were no injuries or damage reported by U.S., coalition, or commercial ships, the statement added.U.S. forces also destroyed eight UAVs in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen later on April 10, the statement said.(Reuters - Reporting by Ahmed Tolba and Enas Alashray; Editing by Kim Coghill)

10 Apr 2024

Houthis Target Four Vessels in Gulf of Aden

© Jack Russel / Adobe Stock

Yemen's Houthis said on Wednesday they targeted four vessels, including what they described as a U.S. warship, with drones and naval missiles in the Gulf of Aden, part of their stated campaign of solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.The Iran-aligned group attacked "MSC Darwin ship, MSC GINA, MV Yorktown" along with the U.S. destroyer, the group's military spokesman Yahya Sarea said in a televised speech.The U.S. military said on Tuesday that it had destroyed an inbound anti-ship…

09 Apr 2024

Baltic Index Extends Decline as Larger Vessel Rates Dip

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The Baltic Exchange's main sea freight index, tracking rates for ships carrying dry bulk commodities, fell for a fourteenth consecutive session on Tuesday as rates for the larger vessel segments slipped.The overall index, which factors in rates for capesize, panamax and supramax shipping vessels, fell by 24 points, or 1.5%, to 1,570 points, its lowest level in two months.The capesize index dipped by 45 points, or 2.1%, to over a two-month trough at 2,153.Average daily earnings for capesize vessels…

07 Apr 2024

Houthis Say They Targeted Western Ships

Source: CENTCOM

Houthi forces in Yemen said on Sunday they had launched rockets and drones at British, U.S. and Israeli ships, the latest in a campaign of attacks on shipping in support of Palestinians in the Gaza war.The Iran-aligned group said it had targeted a British ship and a number of U.S. frigates in the Red Sea, while in the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean it had attacked two Israeli vessels heading to Israeli ports.The operations took place during the last 72 hours, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said in a televised statement…

29 Mar 2024

US Military Destroys Four Houthi Drones

© Marc Calleja / Adobe Stock

The U.S. military said on Thursday that it had destroyed four unmanned drones launched by Iran-backed Houthi forces in Yemen.The U.S. Central Command said on the social media site X that the drones "presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and U.S. Navy ships in the region."The drones were aimed at a coalition vessel and a U.S. warship and "were engaged in self defense over the Red Sea," the statement from the U.S. Central Command said, adding there were no injuries or damage reported to the U.S. or coalition ships.(Reuters - Reporting by Jasper Ward and Dan Whitcomb)

20 Mar 2024

Ten Organizations Team Up on Guidelines for Combating Illegal Wildlife Trafficking

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Ten organizations have joined forces to combat illegal wildlife trafficking through increasing awareness and vigilance across global supply chains.Together, they have produced practical guidelines for all supply chain participants, with advice on measures to take, questions to ask to help identify criminal wildlife trade, and guidance on reporting suspicious activities. An accompanying "Red Flags" document serves as a daily reference for all individuals involved in the supply chain.

19 Mar 2024

BIMCO: 13% of World Seaborne Trade Under Attack from Houthis and Somali Pirates

One of the largest of the international shipping associations BIMCO has reported increased threats associated with maritime shipping amid Red Sea risks related to Houthi strikes and rise of piracy activities offshore Somalia.Since November 2023, the threat to shipping has increased as the Houthis started attacking ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. Simultaneously, piracy activity off the East coast of Somalia has risen and since December, two bulk carriers and several fishing ships have been hijacked.

18 Mar 2024

Houthi Attacks Must Ease for Salvage of Two Vessels, IMO Head Says

On March 2 at approximately 2:15 a.m. (Sanaa time), Rubymar, a Belize-flagged, UK-owned bulk carrier, sank in the Red Sea after being struck by an Iranian-backed Houthi anti-ship ballistic missile on Feb. 18. The ship had been slowly taking on water since the attack. (Photo: U.S. Central Command)

Efforts to limit environmental damage from a cargo vessel that sank after a Houthi missile strike and another abandoned during a fiery assault are on hold until attacks on ships ease, the United Nations' maritime shipping regulatory agency said on Monday.The UK-owned Rubymar last month became the first vessel lost since the Houthis began targeting commercial ships in the Red Sea area in November. The bulk carrier with 21,000 metric tons of fertiliser contained in its cargo hold…

15 Mar 2024

Merchant Vessel West of Yemen's Hodeidah Not Hit by Missile as Earlier Reported

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A daylight inspection showed that a merchant vessel was not hit or damaged in the Red Sea off Yemen's Hodeidah after initial reports it was struck by a missile, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) and British security firm Ambrey said on Friday.Iran-aligned Houthi militants in Yemen have repeatedly launched drones and missiles against international commercial shipping in the region since mid-November in professed solidarity with Palestinians against Israel's war in Gaza.Their Red Sea attacks have disrupted global shipping…

15 Mar 2024

Vessel Struck by Missile West of Yemen's Hodeidah

© mino21 / Adobe Stock

A merchant vessel reported it had been hit by a missile and sustained damage 76 nautical miles west of Yemen's Hodeidah, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) and the British security firm Ambrey said on Friday."The vessel has sustained some damage. The crew are reported safe and the vessel is proceeding to its next port of call," the UKMTO said in an advisory note.Ambrey also reported that the ship suffered damage and that there were no injuries.UKMTO said another ship…

12 Mar 2024

Houthis Fired Ballistic Missile Towards USS Laboon

Source: U.S. Navy

The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said the Iran-aligned Houthis fired on Tuesday one close-range ballistic missile from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen toward USS Laboon in the Red Sea, but it did not hit 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," CENTCOM added in a statement early on Wednesday.(Reuters - Reporting by Enas Alashray; Editing by Jacqueline Wong)

11 Mar 2024

US-British Forces Strike Houthi Targets in Yemen

© Peter Hermes Furian / Adobe Stock

Yemen's port city of Hodeidah and other western coastal areas were hit on Monday by a dozen airstrikes attributed to a U.S.-British coalition defending ships in the Red Sea, according to Al Masirah, the main Houthi-run television news outlet.The strikes follow the first civilian fatalities and vessel loss since the Iran-aligned Houthis began attacking commercial shipping in November. They also coincide with the first day of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, a period of fasting for Muslims.Al Masirah did not specify which targets…

11 Mar 2024

Coast Guard Will Not Enforce New California Rule, Citing 'Safety Concerns'

© Jill Clardy / Adobe Stock

(The Center Square) - The U.S. Coast Guard says it “will not enforce” a new California Air Resources Board regulation, citing “safety concerns.”The Coast Guard and business organizations oppose CARB's requirement that commercial harbor craft install diesel particulate filters (DPF) linked to a number of fires. Seventeen states are suing the Environmental Protection Agency for giving an exemption to California alone to enact its own air standards that, by power of its market size…

08 Mar 2024

Who Are Yemen's Houthis and Why Are They Attacking Ships in the Red Sea?

The tanker Marlin Luanda was struck by an anti-ship missile fired by Houthi forces on January 26, 2024 (Photo: Indian Navy)

Yemen's Houthis have been attacking ships in the Red Sea since November, in what they say is a campaign of solidarity with Palestinians during the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, prompting retaliatory U.S. and U.K. strikes against the Iran-aligned group.In the first fatalities reported since the Houthis began their attacks on shipping in one of the world's busiest trade lanes, a Houthi missile on Wednesday killed three seafarers on the Greek-owned, Barbados-flagged ship True Confidence some 50 nautical miles from Yemen's port of Aden.HistoryIn the late 1990s…

07 Mar 2024

US to Build Temporary Port to Deliver Gaza Aid

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President Joe Biden will announce in his State of the Union speech on Thursday that the U.S. military will construct a temporary port on Gaza's Mediterranean coast to receive humanitarian aid by sea, senior administration officials said.Planning for the operation, initially based on the island of Cyprus, does not envisage the deployment of U.S. military personnel in Gaza, the officials told a news briefing.The officials also said that Hamas is delaying a new deal with Israel on…

06 Mar 2024

Three Killed in Houthi Attack On Greek-owned Ship

(Photo: U.S. Central Command)

A Houthi missile attack killed three seafarers on a Red Sea merchant ship on Wednesday, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said, the first fatalities reported since the Iran-aligned Yemeni group began strikes against shipping in one of the world's busiest trade lanes.The Houthis claimed responsibility for the attack, which set the Greek-owned, Barbados-flagged ship True Confidence ablaze around 50 nautical miles off the coast of Yemen's port of Aden.In an earlier message on X responding to the Houthi claim, Britain's embassy wrote: "At least 2 innocent sailors have died.

06 Mar 2024

Two Dead in First Fatal Houthi Attack on Red Sea Shipping

© Robert / Adobe Stock

Two seafarers were killed in a Houthi missile attack on a Red Sea merchant ship on Wednesday, British and U.S. officials said, the first fatalities reported since the Iran-aligned Yemeni group began strikes against shipping in one of the world's busiest sea lanes.The Houthis claimed responsibility for the attack, which set the Greek-owned, Barbados-flagged ship True Confidence ablaze around 50 nautical miles off the coast of Yemen's port of Aden.In a statement on X directly responding to the Houthi claim, Britain's embassy wrote: "At least 2 innocent sailors have died.

27 Feb 2024

Red Sea Ship Attacks Hit Regional Economies

“During the first seven weeks of 2024, cargo volumes to and from ports in the Gulf of Aden and Red Sea declined 21% y/y. The number of ships arriving in these ports significantly declined as merchant shipping increasingly avoided transiting through the region due to concerns over attacks on ships by the Houthis,” says Niels Rasmussen, Chief Shipping Analyst at BIMCO.Since November 2023, Houthi forces have attacked ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. In December, most container and gas carriers started avoiding the region and by January…

26 Feb 2024

Serco Joins VARD's Team Vigilance for Canadian Navy Build

(Image: Vard Marine)

Serco has signed on a team assembled by Vard Marine Inc. to replace the Royal Canadian Navy’s (RCN) Kingston Class Maritime Coastal Defense Vessels (MCDV) under Pillar Two of Canada’s National Shipbuilding Strategy.Vard Marine, a Fincantieri company, launched VIGILANCE in 2023 to "provide the RCN with a state-of-the-art, capable, operationally flexible, and globally deployable multi-mission naval vessel" that is designed, built and equipped in Canada.Other Team Vigilance partner companies include Ontario Shipyards…

26 Feb 2024

Many Different Vessels but One Goal – Passenger Safety

© Olivier / Adobe Stock

Because there are so many different kinds of passenger vessels, the critical topic of passenger safety can sometimes appear as a set of niche topics, each one just distantly connected to another. After all, passengers aboard a cruise ship in the Caribbean face safety issues that are much different than a commuter going from Jersey City to Manhattan or a tourist crossing from the Mukilteo, Wash. ferry terminal to Whidbey Island or a family on a fishing vessel in Miami.Importantly, though, for passenger vessel operators, a commitment to safety is not siloed.

04 Mar 2024

Risk Reigns in Ocean Shipping, Industry and Economic Experts Say

© dbvirago / Adobe Stock

Risk is the "new normal" for the global ocean shipping industry that handles 80% of global trade as pressure from geopolitical tensions, rising protectionism and climate change mounts."There are going to be global tensions ... and I think global dangers, at a level we haven't seen since the end of World War II," former U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said at the opening of S&P Global's TPM24 container shipping conference in Long Beach, California, on Monday.Houthi missile and drone attacks on merchant ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden are top of mind…

04 Mar 2024

Fire Caused by Blasts Breaks Out on Ship Southeast of Aden

© Maciej Olszewski / Adobe Stock

A fire caused by nearby explosions broke out onboard a vessel southeast of the Yemeni port city of Aden on Monday, before being contained, the U.K. Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency and British security firm Ambrey reported."The Master reports the fire onboard has been extinguished and that the crew are all safe. Coalition Forces are responding," UKMTO said in a recent update on the incident.It later added that the vessel was clear of the area and was proceeding to its…