Welcome to the Inchcape Red Sea Situation daily bulletin relating to the situation in the Red Sea and Suez Canal for Wednesday, 24th January.
On Friday 26th January Inchcape Shipping Services, in partnership with Ambrey Risk Management, will deliver a webinar regarding risks and issues impacting Global Shipping in 2024. Ambrey will provide an update on global risks and threats, and Inchcape will offer considerations when planning voyages. Please register HERE.
Situation Update
Today, US Centcom reported overnight activity on X (formerly Twitter): “On Jan. 24 at approximately 2:30 a.m.(Sanaa time), U.S. Central Command forces conducted strikes against two Houthi anti-ship missiles that were aimed at the Southern Red Sea and were prepared to launch. U.S. forces identified the missiles in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen and determined that they presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and the U.S. Navy ships in the region. U.S. forces subsequently struck and destroyed the missiles in self-defense.”
Subsequently, Ambrey has reported 2 Incidents. Firstly, a merchant vessel reported an unmanned aerial vehicle approaching approximately 50 miles south of Mokha, Yemen. The crew reported an explosion reported 100 metres from the vessel’s starboard side. The vessel reported no damage and no crew injuries. Secondly, Blue Spirit, a Liberia-flagged bulk carrier, reported seeing naval and aerial activity in the vicinity of the International Recommended Transit Corridor 62M southeast of Aden, Yemen. Ambrey noted that an Indian Navy Kolkata-class destroyer was in the area at the time. No suspicious activity was reported. Sightings of naval vessels are encouraged to maintain maritime domain awareness in case a response is required.
Yesterday, Maersk published a customer advisory regarding their ME2 service. Whilst it highlights that the service will turn in the West Mediterranean and westbound calls to Salalah and Jeddah have been paused, the reality is that nearly all ultra-large container vessels (ULCVs) have been routing around Cape of Good Hope for a while.
However, when looking at Tanker, it is a much less obvious trend (LR1, LR2, ULCC, VLCC). Whilst there is an obvious voyage around the Cape of Good Hope, the Red and Arabian Seas remain busy.
Suez Canal Transits
There have been 36 transits today, which indicates a continued decline. Please be aware that Thursday, January 25th, is a National Holiday in Egypt, specifically Revolution/Police Day. As a result, all business establishments and banks will be closed, making it impossible to arrange any CTM (Customs Transit Management). In addition, customs and airline offices will also be closed, meaning that there will be no clearance possible for spares, air shipments, couriers, and similar services.
However, Inchcape will maintain the following emergency numbers during this period.
ISS Port Said Branch Manager: +201000 100 638
ISS Suez Branch Manager: +201000 100 647
Assistant Manager – Ops + 201000 100 651
Ops Manager: +201000 100 642
Port Louis, Mauritius
Another Cyclone has hit Port Louis today. Cyclone Candice has passed to its closest point with Mauritius this morning. Port Louis has been under Cyclone Warning Class 2 since 16:10hrs on the 24th of January. Port activities have been suspended until further notice. We expect activities to resume by tomorrow, the 25th of Jan. The Indian Ocean is seeing several cyclones at the moment with strong winds and rain.
Algeciras and Gibraltar
Algeciras and Gibraltar are showing major transits of vessels arriving and departing. Algeciras is very busy with 43 vessels at berth and 71 in port. A further 21 are expected in the next 24 hours, but 36 left in the last day.
Similarly, Gibraltar is also busy with vessels at 15 of the 17th available berths and 29 vessels in port. 6 vessels are arriving in the next 24 hours, but 18 departed.
How can Inchcape Shipping Services help?
As mentioned in previous posts, Inchcape Shipping Services announced investment in Leth Suez Transit Ltd. You can continue to contact issegypt@iss-shipping.com for immediate assistance or speak to one of our transit team specialists.
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 16 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.
Please contact us for a prompt PDA on these email addresses:
Algeciras: issalgecirasops@issshipping.com
Gibraltar: issgibraltar@issshipping.com
Mauritius: mruops@issshipping.com
South Africa: dbnops@issshipping.com
Kenya: isskenyaenquiries@iss-shipping.com
Tanzania: youriss.dar@issshipping.com
Nigeria: issnigeria@issshipping.com
Ghana: iss.ghana@iss-shipping.com
Mozambique: Yourissmozambique@issshipping.com
Namibia: wvbops@issshipping.com
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