Attack reported in Red Sea on Vietnamese tanker

On Friday March 15th Ambrey and UKMTO said that a tanker in Red Sea had been attacked, with two explosions reported. United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said a ship had reported being “struck by a missile” early on Friday. “The vessel has sustained some damage,” the UKMTO added. It described the crew as being…

Houthis extend target area

Abdul Malik al-Houthi, the leader of Yemen’s Houthis, said on Thursday March 14th that the group would extend the range of its shipping targets to include Israel-linked ships passing through the Indian Ocean towards the Cape of Good Hope. “Our main battle is to prevent ships linked to the Israeli enemy from passing through not…

West African internet hit by damage to subsea communication cables

Marine industry service provider and P&I correspondent Budd Group has reported that, beginning Thursday March 14th, large swathes of West Africa had been experiencing a major internet outage. Damage was reported to four out of five critical submarine cables. The disruption hit Ivory Coast, Liberia, Benin, Burkina Faso and elsewhere. It began on Thursday March…

Gaza relief vessel Open Arms gets GPS jammed

Ex migrant-rescue vessel-turned aid relief ship Open Arms (IMO 7325887) appeared to take a very strange route to its eventual destination of the Gaza beach, apparently turning up near Beirut, Lebanon, on March 14th. It was never really there. Its GPS was jammed / spoofed by an unknown party or parties. Jamming could have prevented…