Incident

Gard on Israel-Gaza conflict: Impact on shipping

Gard recommends ship operators and their masters trading to Israeli ports to carefully assess the risks involved in all port calls on a case-by-case basis.

Published

2 months ago

October 17, 2023

Admin

Maritime protection and indemnity (P&I) club Gard on Monday (16 July) published an alert on the status of ports in Israel following the ongoing conflict with Gaza:

The situation in Israel remains volatile and we recommend assessing all port calls in the country on a case-by-case basis. Appropriate measures should be incorporated into ship contingency plans.

Following Hamas’ large scale military offensive against Israel on the morning of 7 October 2023, the longstanding Israel-Gaza conflict has escalated considerably.

At the time of writing, the majority of the fighting is reported to take place in the southern part of Israel.

According to our local correspondents, Ashkelon port is in principle closed, but permission to berth or discharge cargo while moored at the port’s anchorage may be granted on a case-by-case basis. Ashdod port is still in operation but applies strict entry procedures for vessels carrying hazardous materials. Other Israeli ports, including Haifa, Hadera and Eliat, are currently reported to be unaffected and operating as before the conflict escalated. However, as the situation continues to evolve, the status of Israeli ports can also change.

Advice is likely to evolve quickly

The situation in Israel remains volatile and we recommend ship operators and their masters trading to Israeli ports to carefully assess the risks involved in all port calls on a case-by-case basis and:

make frequent checks with local sources of information, e.g. vessel agents, local authorities, and/or Gard’s correspondent, to obtain the most up-to-date and reliable security information available at any given time,
follow advice received from their flag administrations and port authorities regarding applicable ISPS security levels, and
review their relevant security and contingency plans and apply them accordingly.

As an example, on 13 October 2023 the Liberia Maritime Authority raised the security level to MARSEC 2 for all Liberian flagged vessels calling at ports in Israel.

Owners and managers should also ensure that seafarers on vessels heading towards Israel are aware of any imminent security threats in the region.Decision on crew shore leave should always be taken with the prevailing local security situation in mind.

As Israel is already included in the Joint War Committee’s (JWC) Listed Areas for Hull War, Piracy, Terrorism and Related Perils, we also recommend conferring with the vessel’s war insurer well in advance of arrival at any Israeli port.

Photo credit: Chris Pagan on Unsplash
Published: 17 October, 2023

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Crime

Malaysia: MMEA detains three vessels for illegal anchoring in East Johor waters

Vessels, including those registered in Barbados and Copenhagen, were detained on 4 December and captains of ships had failed to present any document of authorisation to anchor in Malaysian waters.

Published

9 hours ago

December 6, 2023

Admin

Malaysia: MMEA detains three vessels for illegal anchoring in East Johor waters

The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) on Tuesday (5 December) said three vessels have been detained for illegally anchoring in East Johor waters on 4 December.

MMEA Tanjung Sedili Zone acting director Maritime Cmdr Mohd Najib Sam said the first ship, registered in Port Klang, was detained by a patrol boat at 11.30 am at 19.8 nautical miles east of Tanjung Sedili Kechil.

The second ship, registered at Bridgetown in Barbados, anchored at 11.30am at 18.1 nautical miles northeast of Tanjung Penawar.

And the third ship, registered at Copenhagen, was detained by a MMEA patrol vessel at 5.30pm at 21.5 nautical miles east of Tanjung Balau.

Najib said all captains of the ships had failed to present any document of authorisation to anchor in Malaysian waters and the case will be investigated under Section 491B(1)(L) Merchant Shipping Ordinance 1952.

He added that the detention of all three ships has brought the total number of ships detained for the same offence so far this year to 86.

Photo credit: Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency
Published: 6 December, 2023

Vessel Arrest

Malaysia: MMEA detains tanker for illegal anchoring in East Johor waters

Panama-registered vessel was operated by 17 crew members, aged between 21 to 58 years, from Pakistan, India and Bangladesh.

Published

1 week ago

November 29, 2023

Admin

Malaysia: MMEA detains tanker for illegal anchoring in East Johor waters

The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) on Tuesday (28 November) said a Panama-registered tanker has been detained for illegally anchoring in East Johor waters on 27 November.

MMEA Tanjung Sedili Zone acting director Maritime Cmdr Mohd Najib Sam said the tanker was detained by a patrol boat at 11am at 15.8 nautical miles northeast of Tanjung Penawar.

The captain of the vessel failed to produce any documents that permission had been obtained to anchor in Malaysian waters.

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The vessel was operated by 17 crew members, aged between 21 to 58 years, from Pakistan, India and Bangladesh.

The case will be investigated under Section 491B(1)(L) of the Merchant Shipping Ordinance 1952 for anchoring without permission. If found guilty, individuals may be fined not exceeding MYR 100,000 or face an imprisonment term of not more than two years, or both.

Manifold Times previously reported law firm Oon & Bazul LLP sharing on steps shipowners should keep in mind before anchoring and conducting STS operations in Malaysian waters to avoid detention.

Photo credit: Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency
Published: 29 November, 2023

Vessel Arrest

Singapore: Comoros-flagged container ship “Race I” placed under Sheriff’s arrest

Ship, formerly known as “Wisdom Grace”, was added to the list of vessels under Sheriff’s arrest in Singapore’s court system; arrest was made on behalf of Oon & Bazul LLP.

Published

1 week ago

November 28, 2023

Admin

Singapore: Comoros-flagged container ship “Race I” placed under Sheriff’s arrest

Comoros-flagged container ship Race I was arrested in Singapore waters on Friday (24 November).

The 18,193 DWT vessel, formerly known as Wisdom Grace, was added to the list of vessels under Sheriff’s arrest in Singapore’s court system.

According to the list, the vessel was arrested at 11.48pm and the arresting solicitor listed was law firm Oon & Bazul LLP. The ship is currently held at the Eastern Anchorage.

No details regarding the reason behind the arrest were provided in the list.

Photo credit: MarineTraffic / Frank-Peter Mecklenbeck
Published: 28 November, 2023