Welcome to the Inchcape Red Sea Situation daily bulletin relating to the situation in the Red Sea and Suez Canal for Monday, the 29th of January.
Situation Update
On Saturday, US Centcom reported on X (formerly Twitter) that on Jan. 26, Iranian-backed Houthis struck the Marshall Islands-flagged, Bermuda-owned M/V Marlin Luanda with an Anti-Ship Ballistic Missile (ASBM) in the Gulf of Aden. Marlin Luanda is transporting for commercial use a cargo of Naphtha, a highly flammable liquid hydrogen mixture. Following the missile strike, a major fire ensued in one of the cargo holds. Thanks to this rapid response by the U.S., Indian and French navies, the fire is now extinguished. There were no casualties in the attack; the ship remains seaworthy and has returned to its previous course.
On Saturday, UK MTO reported on X (formerly Twitter) that on Jan. 27, a vessel was approached by a small craft with 4 armed persons onboard 780NM East of Hafun, Somalia, with automatic rifles and a rocket-propelled grenade sighted. The small craft approached two within 300 meters; the onboard security team fired warning shots. After an exchange of fire, the small craft then retreated. The vessel and crew are safe and continuing to the next port of call.
Suez Canal Transits
52 Transits today, the highest since the 18th of Jan 24.
Suez Canal, Egypt
H.E Admiral Osama Rabie, Chairman of the Suez Canal Authority, held a meeting yesterday, the 28th of Jan, with major shipping lines and agencies in Egypt to address the current situation in the Suez Canal and Red Sea. The primary objective of the meeting was to establish an open channel of communication and seek innovative solutions to minimize the impact of the crisis on the Suez Canal, agencies, and their customers.
During the meeting, it was unanimously agreed that the crisis is primarily political in nature, requiring a political solution to restore normal operations as soon as possible. Reducing transit fees or offering rebates was deemed ineffective at this stage due to the perceived high risk in the Red Sea. However, it was suggested that reductions could be considered for special clients on a case-by-case basis.
Algeciras and Gibraltar
Algeciras and Gibraltar are showing major transits of vessels arriving and departing. Algeciras is very busy, with 48 vessels at berth and 72 in port. A further 18 are expected in the next 24 hours, but 25 left in the last day. The current turnaround is 14 hours for Container vessels and 49 hours for tankers.
Similarly, Gibraltar is also busy with vessels at 13 of the 17th available berths and 27 vessels in port. 10 vessels are arriving in the next 24 hours, but 9 departed.
Ambrey Daily Incident report 17-27th January
- 27 JANUARY
UK-flagged destroyer HMS DIAMOND | UAV Interdiction - 26 JANUARY
Marshall Islands-flagged MARLIN LUANDA tanker | Missile Strike - 24 JANUARY
Liberia-flagged bulker TOMAHAWK | Proximate Explosion - 24 JANUARY
United States-flagged box ship MAERSK DETROIT | Proximate Explosion - 18 JANUARY
Marshall Islands-flagged tanker CHEM RANGER | Proximate Explosion - 17 JANUARY
Marshall Islands-flagged bulker GENCO PICARDY | Missile Strike
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@iss-shipping.com
Gibraltar: issgibraltar@iss-shipping.com
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
Subscribe to receive daily reports on the ongoing situation.