Kevin Liffey News

A Portuguese-flagged container ship, the MSC Aries, was seized by Iran on April 13 for "violating maritime laws", Iran's foreign ministry said on Monday, adding that there was no doubt the vessel was linked to Israel.Iran's Revolutionary Guards seized the cargo vessel in the Strait of Hormuz days after Tehran vowed to retaliate for a suspected Israeli strike on its consulate in Damascus on April 1. Iran had said it could close the crucial shipping route."The vessel was diverted…

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…

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.

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.

The Greek-owned cargo ship True Confidence was hit by a missile about 50 nautical miles southwest of the Yemeni port of Aden on Wednesday in an attack presumed to come from Houthi forces, the ship's owner and operator said.The bulk carrier was drifting with a fire continuing onboard, their statement said, adding that no information was available on the status of 20 crew members and three armed guards onboard.But a shipping source said three sailors were missing from the Barbados-flagged bulk carrier and four others were badly burned.There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

An explosion in the vicinity of a Barbados-flagged, U.S.-owned cargo ship off the port of Aden in southern Yemen was reported by a nearby vessel, British security firm Ambrey said on Wednesday.The ship, located approximately 57 nautical miles southwest of Aden, was hailed by an entity declaring itself to be the "Yemeni Navy" and ordered to alter course, Ambrey said.Vessels in the vicinity reported a loud bang and a large plume of smoke, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency said.Houthi militants in Yemen have launched drone and missile attacks on shipping in the Red Sea…

Ships will have to obtain a permit from Yemen's Houthi-controlled Maritime Affairs Authority before entering Yemeni waters, Houthi Telecommunications Minister Misfer Al-Numair said on Monday.Houthi militants have repeatedly launched drones and missiles against international commercial shipping in the Gulf of Aden since mid-November, saying they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians against Israel's offensive in Gaza.The near-daily attacks have forced firms into long and costly diversions around southern Africa…

Yemen's Houthis said on Tuesday they could only reconsider their missile and drone attacks on international shipping in the Red Seaonce Israel ends its "aggression" in the Gaza Strip.Asked if they would halt the attacks if a ceasefire deal is reached, Houthi spokesman Mohammed Abdulsalam told Reuters the situation would be reassessed if the siege of Gaza ended and humanitarian aid was free to enter."There will be no halt to any operations that help Palestinian people except when the Israeli aggression on Gaza and the siege stop…

Israel's military said it had intercepted a "suspicious aerial target" on Friday off the northern port city of Haifa amid high tension along its frontier with Lebanon.The seaports of Haifa and Ashdod are crucial gateways for Israel's trade.An Israeli military spokesperson said the target had not caused any damage or injuries."I cannot confirm exactly how close it was to the port, but the fact that, according to protocol, no sirens were sounded means that it was far enough," the spokesperson said, declining to say whether the target or its source had been identified.In December, the Israeli mil

Japan's Nippon Yusen, the country's biggest shipper by sales, on Tuesday suspended navigation through the Red Sea for all the vessels it operates, a spokesperson told Reuters.The company, also known as NYK Line, has also instructed its vessels navigating near the Red Sea to wait in safe waters and is considering route changes, the spokesperson said.It is the latest operator to cease traversing the key shipping corridor following an advisory from the Combined Maritime Forces to stay clear of the region after the launch of U.S.

Iceland has suspended the operations of one of its two whaling vessels for taking too long to kill a fin whale, the authorities and the boat's owner said on Friday.The government two weeks ago ended a two-month pause in whaling that had been imposed after a report concluded that killing whales took longer than Iceland's animal welfare law allowed.Although it imposed stricter regulations and surveillance in order to limit the whales' suffering, there were nevertheless protests from animal welfare campaigners and Hollywood stars including Leonardo DiCaprio.An inspection carried out on Sept.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday asked the state-owned VTB bank to manage the state's 100% stake in United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC), Russia's largest shipbuilder, to solve financial problems at the firm.Putin's decision effectively transfers control of Russia's premier shipbuilding assets to Moscow-based VTB, which has been run by Andrei Kostin, one of Russia's most influential bankers, for the past 21 years.USC builds civilian vessels as well as nuclear submarines, aircraft carriers and other warships.

The Kremlin said on Friday that what it called Ukraine's "unpredictable" actions posed a danger to civilian shipping in the Black Sea, and accused Kyiv of carrying out "terrorist attacks" in the area.Russia said this week that all ships heading to Ukraine's Black Sea ports could be considered military targets, and their flag countries parties to the conflict on the Ukrainian side, after it revoked their security guarantees by quitting the Black Sea grain deal.Its navy has since practised firing rockets at "floating targets" and apprehending ships, although Moscow's ambassador to Washington on

Russia is not preparing to attack civilian ships in the Black Sea despite assertions by the United States, Russia's ambassador to Washington said on Thursday, in comments posted by his embassy.On Wednesday, Moscow said it would deem all ships travelling to Ukrainian ports to be potential carriers of military cargo and their flag countries to be parties to the conflict on the Ukrainian side, after Russia quit a year-old deal to give ships exporting Ukrainian grain safe passage despite the war.Commenting on the decision…

The movement of cargo vessels through the Kerch Strait has been suspended by Russian authorities since July 16 following drone attacks on the Crimean port of Sevastopol, two industry sources told Reuters.Russia's defense ministry said its forces had prevented Ukraine from attacking Sevastopol on Sunday, destroying seven aerial and two maritime drones."Navigation is already idle for the third day. They stopped it on July 16, around 5 p.m.

Russia refused on Monday to extend the agreement that has enabled Ukraine to export grain from its Black Sea ports for the past year, complaining that promises to free up its own shipments of food and fertilisers had not been kept.Russia's Foreign Ministry said it had notified Ukraine, Turkey and the United Nations that "without Russia's participation, the 'Black Sea Initiative' ceases to function from July 18".This meant the withdrawal of safety guarantees for shipping, the ending…

Russia's deputy foreign minister said on Monday that even if a deal allowing shipments of Ukrainian grain via the Black Sea ends, Russia's agreement with the United Nations to ease its own exports will stay in force, Russian state news agency RIA reported on Monday.Moscow has repeatedly said it sees little chance of agreeing an extension of the Black Sea Grain Initiative beyond July 18, because it says Western sanctions are thwarting its own U.N.-backed attempts to export both grain and fertiliser.Asked by RIA if the collapse of the grain deal would invalidate its memorandum with the U.N.…

Russia's Defence Ministry said on Wednesday that the Russian warship Ivan Khurs had been attacked unsuccessfully by three Ukrainian uncrewed speedboats in the Black Sea, on the approaches to the Bosphorus strait.In a statement posted on Telegram, the ministry said the warship had been protecting the TurkStream and Blue Stream gas pipelines - which carry gas from Russia to Turkey, partly across the Black Sea - and "continues to fulfill its tasks".No comment was immediately available from Kyiv.The ministry cited the attack as a justification for Russia expanding defensive measures.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish leader Tayyip Erdogan plan to meet in the near future after a phone conversation in which they discussed efforts to facilitate grain exports from Ukraine, the Kremlin said on Monday.Turkey has been mediating between Moscow and Kyiv since Russia sent its armed forces into Ukraine on Feb. 24.

The Kremlin on Friday said Russia was extending the Black Sea grain deal for 60 days, echoing previous statements by the Russian Foreign Ministry.The deal to unblock Ukrainian grain exports from the Black Sea after Russia sent its armed forces into Ukraine was brokered last year by Turkey, with the United Nations acting as an observer. The deal is automatically extended every 120 days if none of the parties registers an objection.Both Ukraine and Turkey have said the deal, which is due to expire on Saturday…

The judge probing the 2020 Beirut blast has charged Lebanon's top public prosecutor, the then-premier and other senior current and former officials in connection with the devastating explosion, judicial sources said and court summons show.Judge Tarek Bitar unexpectedly resumed an inquiry on Monday after it was paralysed for more than a year by political resistance and legal complaints filed by top officials he was seeking to question.The explosion on Aug. 4, 2020 was caused by…

Five Russia-bound containers from India's Jindal Stainless Ltd (JSL) have been stuck at the Belgian port of Antwerp for around a year, unable to enter the European Union, the company said on Friday."The containers are carrying around 100 metric tonnes of stainless steel," a company spokesperson said.The containers were sent in February 2022 for shipment via Antwerp, but were held up because of EU sanctions imposed on Russia after it invaded Ukraine the same month.JSL's spokesperson said the stainless steel was not among the goods on the EU's sanctions list, and should be cleared for onward tra

Russia said on Thursday it was facilitating the export of grain and oilseeds from Ukraine through Russian-held transit points on the Azov Sea, without explaining who was providing the foodstuffs for export.Ukraine, like Russia one of the world's biggest exporters of grains and oilseeds, has accused Russia of stealing grain from territories in Ukraine that its forces have seized.Russian Deputy Prime Minister Viktoria Abramchenko rejected the allegation in an interview with Reuters…