Ports of Unrest - Navigating Full Spectrum Dominance and the Great Reset

[United Gnosis]

And now, from the road shipping side of the supply chain, the overstretch will keep building up as functional corps are targeted by opportunistic groups. Another one that strengthens the pull towards the chain not holding anymore:

ZeroHedge

ZeroHedge - On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero

www.zerohedge.com

 

[mxwlll0]

Sharing some articles I picked up over the last couple weeks. A lot going on as usually in the supply chain space.

Here's one that seems to have gone under the radar, but noteworthy in terms of calling out Israel and it's latest attacks on the Palestinian people. Nice to see not everyone in the East Bay has become a brain-numbed Covid masking wearing zombie!

Protestors claim to have prevented ZIM vessel from calling Oakland - Container News

The San Francisco-based Arab Resource & Organizing Center (AROC) has announced that the Israeli carrier ZIM decided not to dock its ship at the Port of Oakland after its call to boycott, "amidst a rising tide of actions in solidarity with Palestine."

ZIM was planning to come back to Oakland in mid-May after 2014, when protests had successfully stopped the company's ships from docking in, according to AROC's announcement.

"Upon learning that ZIM was going to attempt to return to Oakland, we called on communities across the Bay Area to get ready to mobilise to the Port of Oakland to Block the Boat again," said AROC and added that "In fear of facing our protest, ZIM decided to avoid Oakland altogether, and is headed down the coast to Los Angeles."

AROC went on to highlight, "We will continue to monitor ZIM’s moves to ensure that it does not return to the Bay Area, and will be ready to act if it does."

Container News has asked for a comment from ZIM on the situation, but the company has not responded yet.

Mother nature gearing up in Asia - Asia Braces For 20 Cyclones In 2021 – gCaptain

Half of the roughly 20 tropical cyclones expected to form in the western Pacific Ocean through September this year are predicted to hit land in east Asian nations, forecasters said on Friday, making for a season that is busier than usual...

That total exceeds the region’s 30-year average of 13.5 cyclones in the months from April to September, according to the forecast...

A containership attempting to dock at Taiwan port got too close and took out a couple cranes:

Watch: Containership Takes Out Cranes at Kaohsiung Port in Taiwan – gCaptain

A 316-meter-long containership took out two cranes at the Port of Kaohsiung in Taiwan.

The port reported that the OOCL Durban was being moved from another area of the port when it scraped another docked ship, pushing it into a ship-to-shore crane which subsequently collapsed. The OOCL Durban was not carrying any cargo at the time.

A second view of the incident shows workers scrambling for cover as the crane and adjacent cargo stacks collapsed on the pier.

Reporting indicates two workers were trapped inside the wreckage and were later rescued without injury. Another suffered a cut to the arm.

A statement from the Port of Kaohsiung said the OOCL Durban was bound for Pier 66, belonging to Yang Ming, when the incident occurred.

“The ship was booked to berth at Pier 66 of Kaohsiung Port, but when the ship passed through Pier 70, it collided with the bow of the “Yong Hung Ship (Gross Tonnage 32,720)” anchored at Pier 70 slightly damaged, and one of the overhead crane One GC8 bridge crane. After the collapse of the GC8 bridge crane, the adjacent GC6 crane was seriously damaged. A total of 1 collapsed, 1 severely damaged but not collapsed and 30-50 containers were damaged, and 1 GC8 bridge crane was caused,” the port said in a statement (translated in english by Google).

The OOCL Durban later docked at Pier 66 for investigation.

Ship that had been slowly sinking from a fire started by a chemical fire is threatening to become an environmental disaster. If so, it'll be used to further justify the adoption of more green-alternative solutions.

X-Press Pearl Partially Sinks Off Colombo - PHOTOS

The MV X-Press Pearl has partially sunk off the coast of Sri Lanka during an attempt to tow the vessel to deeper waters, the ship’s operator has confirmed. Salvors boarded...

gcaptain.com

The MV X-Press Pearl has partially sunk off the coast of Sri Lanka during an attempt to tow the vessel to deeper waters, the ship’s operator has confirmed.

Salvors boarded the vessel today and successfully attached a tow wire to the bow of the burned out ship, but efforts to tow it failed. The ship’s aft is now touching the seabed at a depth of 21 meters, X-Press Feeders said in its update.

“As of 1500 Sri Lanka time, the foreward area of the vessel remains afloat with smoke coming out of Cargo Holds No 1 and 2,” the update said.

Efforts to extinguish the fire on board have been ongoing since it was first reported May 20 one day after the X-Press Pearl arrived at an anchorage approximately 9.5 miles off the coast of Colombo with a container leaking nitric acid. While dousing the fire appeared to be successful initially, the fire exploded in intensity last week and all 25 crew members and a salvage team from SMIT were evacuated.

All 25 crew members were eventually evacuated safely, although two suffered injuries but are expected to recover fully. One also tested positive for COVID-19.

Prior to its partial sinking today, all salvage team members were evacuated from the vessel due to safety concerns.

“An inspection team were able to board the vessel on the afternoon of Tuesday, June 1, and reported the engine room flooded. There are now concerns over the amount of water in the hull and its effect on the ship’s stability. Efforts to make a connection for towing failed after several attempts due to the tug’s movement caused by the swell. The operation was aborted for safety reasons,” X-Press Feeders reported today prior the sinking.

The Sri Lankan Navy and Indian coastguard have remained on scene responding to the incident.

The X-Press Pearl was loaded with 1,486 containers, including 25 tons of Nitric Acid and other chemicals which it had loaded at the port of Hazira, India on May 15, the Sri Lankan Navy reported previously. Preliminary investigations indicate the fire started due to a chemical reaction of the hazardous cargo. It also had 297 tonnes of Heavy Fuel Oil and 51 tonnes of Marine Fuel Oil on board.

Before arriving in Sri Lankan waters, X-Press Pearl underwent discharge and loading operations at Hazira Port in India and Hamad Port in Qatar before continuing on its planned journey to Colombo.

“Applications had been made to both ports to offload a container that was leaking nitric acid but the advice given was there were no specialist facilities or expertise immediately available to deal with the leaking acid,” an earlier update said.

Sri Lankan officials fear the sinking of the vessel would impact local fisheries and create an environmental disaster along the shoreline. The government on Wednesday suspended fishing along a 50-mile stretch of the island’s coastline, affecting 5,600 fishing boats, Reuters reported.

More alternative energy inanity. Looking 5 years from now, rather than a wind farm off the coast of the UK supplying energy across Europe, I'm excepting large popsicle sticks -- once the ice age kicks in.

Offshore Wind Could Turn U.K. into Net Power Exporter to Europe in Five Years – gCaptain

Britain could become a net exporter of electricity to Europe as soon as 2026, according to S&P Global Platts.

The U.K. imports about 7% of its electricity from Europe now, but that’s set to reverse, in part due to new cables that will boost links with the continent. With Britain aiming to quadruple offshore wind capacity this decade, it could have excess power to send through those lines.

Power flows to where prices are highest. At the moment this is often Britain, particularly along the two cables from France. But prices are expected to rise in mainland Europe, especially in the biggest market — Germany — as coal, lignite and nuclear plants are closed down, according to Platts. That will alter the economics and flow of electricity.

The U.K. aims to cut greenhouse gas emissions to “net zero” by 2050, and importing supplies of low-carbon electricity from countries like France, Norway and Denmark is part of that plan. Yet with power demand set to double over the period, Britain is also bolstering its own supply, targeting 40 gigawatts from offshore wind by 2030.

The U.K. market is getting “structurally longer, while the whole of western Europe is moving in another direction,” said Sabrina Kernbichler, European power analyst at S&P Global Platts.

New interconnector cables will boost Britain’s links with Europe to 18 gigawatts from 8 gigawatts by 2030. There’s a “medium-term” possibility that the country will become a net exporter, according to Andreas Gandolfo, an analyst at BloombergNEF.

But it won’t last. While wind-power growth in the coming decade will depress prices in the U.K., the increased electrification of energy use will subsequently drive them up, he said.

Planned new interconnectors include:

• 1 gigawatt ElecLink to France due to start in summer 2022
• 1.4 gigawatt North Sea Link with Norway expected to start this year
• 1.4 gigawatt Viking Link with Denmark starting in 2023/2024
• 1.4 gigawatt NeuConnect cable with Germany starting 2023/24

Not saying foul play or anything but hmmm

Iran's Largest Navy Ship Sinks After Fire in Gulf of Oman – gCaptain

DUBAI, June 2 (Reuters) – Iran’s largest navy ship the Kharg sank on Wednesday after catching fire in the Gulf of Oman, but the crew were safely rescued, Iranian media reported.

No further explanation was given for the latest incident in a region of sensitive waterways, where there have been accusations of attacks on ships owned by arch-enemies Iran and Israel.

State TV said the fire on Iran’s highest-tonnage naval vessel started around 2:25 a.m.on Wednesday (21:55 GMT) near the Iranian port of Jask, where it was on a training mission.

The Gulf of Oman connects to the Strait of Hormuz where about a fifth of the world’s oil passes.

Rescue operations for the Kharg went on for hours, the statement on state TV said, with all the crew disembarking.

“All efforts to save the vessel were unsuccessful and it sank,” the semi-official Fars news agency reported.

In April, Iran said one of its vessels, the Saviz, had been targeted in the Red Sea, after media reports the ship had been attacked with limpet mines.

That came after Israel and Iran had blamed each other for a series of reported attacks on cargo ships since late February.

Iran has refused to recognize Israel since its Islamic Revolution in 1979 that toppled the U.S.-backed Shah. Israel sees Iran’s nuclear program as a threat to its existence.

The shipping incidents have occurred since U.S. President Joe Biden took office in January, pledging to rejoin Iran’s 2015 nuclear containment deal with six world powers – abandoned by his predecessor Donald Trump in a move welcomed by Israel – if Tehran returns to full compliance with the accord. (Writing by Parisa Hafezi; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)

The Suez Canal and Ever Given saga continues. Noting here that the ship was being navigated by Suez Canal operators.

Ever Given Insurer: Suez Canal Controlled Ship's Speed Before Grounding – gCaptain

While UK Club said the Ever Given’s owners and insurers “fully acknowledge that the SCA is entitled to compensation for their legitimate claims arising out of this incident,” it added it was concerned by allegations made against the ship and its master.

“It is important to clarify that whilst the master is ultimately responsible for the vessel, navigation in the Canal transit within a convoy is controlled by the Suez Canal pilots and SCA vessel traffic management services,” it said.

“Such controls include the speed of the transit and the availability of escort tugs.”

The Ever Given’s owners and insurers have disputed the vessel’s detention and the compensation claim, and their lawyers have said the SCA was at fault for allowing the ship to enter the waterway and for not providing suitable tugs.

SCA Chairman Osama Rabie told Reuters last week that the Ever Given was moving at 25 kilometres (15.5 miles) per hour rather than the appropriate 8-9kmph, that it’s rudder was not aligned, and that it could have chosen not to enter the canal.

The Empire is set to add a new economic metric under the "blue economy" which basically seems to be a way for them to continue on their crazy crusade of "Do as we say...because climate change." and implement green technocratic alternatives.

https://gcaptain.com/u-s-set-to-unveil-first-official-marine-economy-estimate/

The U.S. government is set to release its first official estimate of the value of the nation’s marine economy, also known as the “blue economy.”

NOAA and the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) are set to unveil the findings next Tuesday. For the statistics, experts considered ten sectors representing businesses dependent on the nation’s oceans, coasts and Great Lakes between the years 2014 and 2019.

BEA is partnering with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to develop statistics to measure the role of the oceans, seaports, and Great Lakes in the U.S. economy. The “Marine Economy Satellite Account” will estimate the contribution to gross domestic product of activities such as commercial fishing, shipbuilding, transportation, and recreation. The statistics are planned to help businesses make investment and hiring decisions and aid U.S., state, and local policymakers.

NOAA in January released its Blue Economy Strategic Plan for 2021-2025, laying out a roadmap for “new ways to advance the United States’ Blue Economy and enhance a global ocean economy,” which is expected to double in value to $3 trillion over the next decade. The Strategic Plan focuses on five sectors that NOAA will advance through agency-wide initiatives including marine transportation, ocean exploration, seafood competitiveness, tourism and recreation, and coastal resilience.

Expecting more turbulence in the coming 2nd half of the 2021 year.

 

[United Gnosis]

Thanks for the update. I also spotted this article on ZH a few days ago and was thinking of sharing it here. Yet another omen for the logistical collapse...

ZeroHedge

ZeroHedge - On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero

www.zerohedge.com

 

[mxwlll0]

Thanks for the update. I also spotted this article on ZH a few days ago and was thinking of sharing it here. Yet another omen for the logistical collapse...

ZeroHedge

ZeroHedge - On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero

www.zerohedge.com

Thanks for sharing this article. Crazy freight rates and scarce container capacity look to be an ongoing issue for the rest of the year. This is due to port congestion (ie: ports on lockdown in Chiba and India) and container short-fall as carrier skip ports and empty containers aren’t filled. Here are few more articles that touch on this:

The ongoing container disruption in the Port of Yantian, caused by the Covid-19 outbreak, has already blocked a larger number of containers than the number of boxes that were unable to move due to the Suez Canal blockage by Ever Given, according to the container shipping analyst, Lars Jensen.

During the 14 days of Yantian port congestion, the port has been unable to handle approximately 357,000TEU, while Suez Canal blockage was impacting a daily flow of 55,000TEU for six days, which translates to a total of 330,000TEU. Additionally, the impact of the Port of Yantian situation is still ongoing, while there are also significant effects on Nansha and Shekou ports.

Yantian port congestion blocks more boxes than Suez Canal incident - Container News
————

Freight rates have soared across all tradelanes and, to meet market demand, carriers have been desperate to charter extra tonnage, driving daily hire rates to high levels and obliging carriers to accept shipowners’ demands, including long-term deals of three, four or five years.

https://theloadstar.com/high-charter-rates-could-be-carriers-achilles-heel-come-downturn/
————

Mai noted, "The problem is not insufficient supply, but the poor circulation of containers. There are two main reasons: one is that the world's 20 busiest ports are currently in "traffic jams", with ships queuing, and empty containers cannot be shipped back; the other is that new Covid-19 outbreaks have caused many countries and regions to suspend economic and industrial activities."

CIMC boss sees no end to container crunch in 2021 - Container News
————

“The rates are too high,” he added. “We are now seeing shippers cancel orders because the freight rates cancel out their margins, and the whole situation has become really worrying, because I think this will lead to business failures and a lot of pain for the general economy down the road.”

https://theloadstar.com/calm-before...t-for-new-surge-as-carriers-prepare-new-gris/
https://theloadstar.com/calm-before...t-for-new-surge-as-carriers-prepare-new-gris/
————

Very telling to see how the “new surge” of COVID lockdowns at ports is being used to cause further strain on the flow of goods while increased congestion based off supply/demand will likely increase prices around the world — not mention more delays for key supplies…

 

[mxwlll0]

This article was shared internally and has good “nuts ‘n bolts” numbers around who controls capacity (or the overall space allocated within a container for cargo) across liners with “10 carriers now operating 85% of global shipping capacity” And they’ll control more in the coming years:

Top 10 liners control 85% of market — and they’re not done yet

The extreme consolidation within the container liner sector is the kind of thing owners of tankers and bulk carriers can only dream of. The latest data from Alphaliner highlights the extent of liner consolidation, how soon the rankings will change, and how newbuilding orders will render the carrier arena even more concentrated than it already is.

The top 10 carriers now operate 85% of global shipping capacity. Four groups — Maersk, MSC, CMA CGM and COSCO — control more than half of capacity (58%). The top seven, including Hapag-Lloyd, ONE and Evergreen, control 78%.

This base level of fleet concentration is then greatly enhanced by the existence of three vessel-sharing alliances on the mainline East-West trades — 2M, the Ocean Alliance and THE Alliance — which count nine of the top 10 liner groups as members.

Big moves by MSC

The big mover at the top end of the liner rankings is MSC.

The Switzerland-based carrier has been extremely active in the secondhand market, purchasing 49 vessels since August. It has also been busy in the charter market and very active in the newbuild market.

Including three secondhand ships it recently acquired, MSC just passed the 4 million-TEU (twenty-foot-equivalent unit) fleet milestone. Alphaliner noted that MSC’s fleet has increased 4% from the beginning of this year alone.

Including newbuilds on order, MSC effectively surpassed Maersk months ago to become the world’s largest carrier. Even in terms of ships on the water, it will take the crown soon. “The takeover could even happen before the end of the year, as MSC is to take delivery of four more 23,656-TEU ‘megamax’ newbuildings in the coming months,” said Alphaliner.

Newbuildings to hike carriers’ shares

When all newbuildings on order are delivered, MSC will pull far ahead of the pack.

Although the sum of on-the-water tonnage and newbuild tonnage is not equivalent to future capacity (because there can be more orders in the interim, and ships can go on and off charter, be bought, sold, or scrapped), it does provide an indicator of future rankings.

Maersk has the least on order of all the larger liner companies, with newbuild capacity of just 0.9% of on-the-water capacity. In sharp contrast, MSC’s orderbook is 18% of its operating fleet, according to Alphaliner data. The combined tonnage of existing ships and newbuilds for MSC is 4,742,400 TEUs, 14% and 34% above the same calculation for Maersk and CMA CGM, respectively.

Beyond the “who has the biggest fleet” contest between Maersk and MSC, the broader and more important story is that the world’s top few carriers will be the overwhelming recipients of the new tonnage arriving in 2023-24 that was ordered starting in Q4 2020.

Among the other top players, the orderbook-to-fleet ratio of Wan Hai is 56%, Evergreen 50%, ZIM 37%, CMA CGM and Yang Ming 18%, ONE 17%, and COSCO 9%. These percentages will increase further as newbuilds ordered by non-operating owners are identified with their charterers over time.

A portion of this new capacity is replacement tonnage for older vessels, yet the newbuilding data implies that the top 10 liners’ capacity control will climb from its current 85% level in the direction of the 90s.

————

And of some interest is this DHL summit where no other than full spectrum villain of the Great Reset Klaus Schwab will be giving a keynote titled — “What can we expect from the world of tomorrow?” I’m going to try and attend; will share what comes out of it. Pushing the “agenda” no doubt…

https://www.dhl.com/global-en/home/...hl-the-logistics-and-supply-chain-summit.html

 

[mxwlll0]

Another fire coming from a containership in Dubai according this article:

Large Blast Rocks Ship at Jebel Ali Port in Dubai

Update: Fire Out on Ship at Jebel Ali Port There are reports of a large explosion and fire at the Jebel Ali Port in Dubai. The government reports the fire...

gcaptain.com

“The fire is under control and there are no deaths or injuries as a result of the accident at Jebel Ali Port,” the government said in an update. It also posted a video showing a fire in the forward section of small containership.

This comes off the recent missile strike reported on Israeli owned ship near Jeddah now in the vicinity of Dubai:

Israel Probes Suspected Attack on Containership in Indian Ocean

JERUSALEM/DUBAI (Reuters) – Israeli defense officials were checking whether Iranian forces were behind a possible attack on a cargo ship under partial Israeli ownership on Saturday on its way from...

gcaptain.com

Ship-tracking data from Refinitiv Eikon showed the CSAV Tyndall container ship, which sails under a Liberian flag, was last docked in Jeddah and was now off the coast of Dubai.

Here’s another fire that broke out on a container ship near the end of June that happened to be Liberian:

One seafarer reported missing after engine room fire broke out aboard MSC boxship - Container News

MSC Messina has suffered an engine room fire on 25 June, according to the Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA), which reported that in the early hours...

container-news.com

The Liberia-flagged MSC Messina was sailing 480 nautical miles away from Hambantota, Southern Sri Lankan coast, at the time of the fire incident.

Also a container full of heroin was seized in Mumbai. Enroute from Iran via Afghanistan:

US$300 million drug bust at Mumbai Port - Container News

India's Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) officials along with the Nhava Sheva Customs department seized a massive 293-kilo heroin drug consig

container-news.com

Last week, India's Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) officials along with the Nhava Sheva Customs department seized a massive 293-kilogram heroin drug consignment from two containers concealed with talcum stones in Mumbai's Jawaharlal Nehru Port.

According to DRI officials, the two containers which arrived from Iran's Chabahar port contained a total of 350 gunny bags out of which six, three in each container, were packed with heroin which was later confiscated under the provisions of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985.

"These six gunny bags of similar weight and having slightly different marks and sieve pattern were found concealed at different locations inside the containers," said DRI officials.

The consignment was believed to be headed for Punjab by road before it was intercepted, while the containers were imported by M/s Sandhu Export from Iran via Afghanistan.

Lots going on to say the least. Wanted to share sooner than later.

 

[Chad]

Another cyber attack reported, this time shutting down a major South African port, which also comes at a time when the country has been rocked by protests, rioting and looting, (see this thread) over the imprisonment of former President Zuma, that also resulted in food rationing.

Although it could be opportunism, the timing is rather suspect, and one could be forgiven for thinking that there is a concerted effort to stir up as much trouble as possible, if only to see what happens, or what is possible.

It remains to be seen, but the article does state that the deliveries impacted are not commodities, so it shouldn't lead to any further food rationing:

Cyber attack disrupts major South African port & rail operations​

Zandi Shabalala, Tanisha Heiberg
Reuters
Thu, 22 Jul 2021 12:22 UTC

Durban, the busiest shipping terminal in sub-Saharan Africa, was also affected, three sources with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters.

Cape Town Harbour Carriers Association said in an email to members, seen by Reuters: "Please note that the port operating systems have been cyber-attacked and there will be no movement of cargo until the system is restored."

Transnet's official website was down on Thursday showing an error message.

Transnet, which operates major South African ports, including Durban and Cape Town, and a huge railway network that transports minerals and other commodities for export, confirmed its IT applications were experiencing disruptions and it was identifying the cause.

It declined to comment on whether a cyber attack caused the disruption. The sources, who asked not to be named because they are not authorised to speak to the press, said an attack occurred early on Thursday.

The state-owned company already suffered major disruptions to its ports and national freight rail line last week following days of unrest and violence in parts of the country.

In response to a question on whether the cyber attack on Transnet was linked to the unrest, a government official said: "We are investigating, and when that is confirmed or dispelled we are going to make that announcement.

"Currently we are treating it as an unrelated event."

The latest disruption has delayed containers and auto parts, but commodities were mostly unaffected as they were in a different part of the port, one of the sources said.

It will also create backlogs that could take time to clear.

Transnet said its container terminals were disrupted while its freight rail, pipeline, engineering and property divisions reported normal activity.

Most of the copper and cobalt mined in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia, where miners such as Glencore and Barrick Gold operate, use Durban to ship cargo out of Africa.

 

[mxwlll0]

More turbulence in the supply-chain space:

CMA CGM extends Le Havre call suspension in SAFRAN service - Container News

Found it interesting that the port in Le Havre is extending its suspension of service. Doesn’t say why, but can’t help think there may be an indirect result of the protests against the COVID health pass — a sort of a get in line move?

—
Wind Turbine Installation Vessel Capsizes Off China

A wind turbine installation vessel capsized off China. Unfortunate that there a 4 missing, but might want to take it as a sign. that nstalling wind farms will not be a reliable source of alternative energy. There are dozens of articles every week on various initiatives and funding for wind farms — suspect the frost wind will have its way in the end.

—

https://theloadstar.com/typhoon-bri...chaos-in-china-closing-air-sea-and-rail-hubs/

Typhoon In-Fa swept through China on Sunday and created quite the disruption to ports in and around Shanghai. It’s only July and an above average storm season is planned for later this year. Expect even more supply-chain stress…

However, as In-Fa headed towards the city of Zhoushan, making landfall on Sunday, it prompted the closure of Shanghai’s air, sea and rail hubs just 150km north

According to CH Robinson, warehouses have also stopped container loading and deliveries to terminals.

The forwarder said: “Shanghai has been closed since Friday and port operations are expected to reopen tonight around 10pm. Ningbo port was also closed on Friday, but terminals and depots are resuming this afternoon. We expect to see vessel berthing delays of four-to-six days at each port.”

And here’s a video from a tweet a colleague shared of containers sitting at port being tossed around from the storm. These are 40’ x 20’ and very heavy even when empty - no problem for Mother Nature though.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1419874155248250883

 

[mxwlll0]

More shenanigans at Ports around the world starting in the Gulf. We’ll see if this escalates…

Two Crew Killed in Attack on Israeli-Managed Tanker off Oman

Briton and a Romanian, were killed when a petroleum products tanker managed by Israeli-owned Zodiac Maritime came under attack on Thursday off Oman’s coast, the company said on Friday…

…In recent months Iran and Israel have traded accusations of attacking each other’s vessels.

—

Another hardware malfunction this time at the Port of Houston - no cyber attack reported but cause not reported either.

Hardware failure disables two container terminals in Houston - Container News

—

STS crane partially collapsed in the Helsinki port - Container News

Representatives from the port of Helsinki and Konecranes have confirmed that there has been a partial collapse of a ship to shore (STS) crane within the Vuosaari harbour in the Finland capital's port.

Cause unknown. Plus a crane abbreviated STS - a sign or just coincidence ?

 

[Ocean]

Seems like the US and UK are gearing up for a false flag attack on IRAN!
The alleged attack on the cargo ship Mercer Street, took place off the coast of Oman.



*Israel has been given the green light to retaliate against Iran by the US & UK.*

Israel Defence minister, IDF chief of staff holding a crucial emergency meeting after the alleged attack by Iran on Israeli cargo ship MERCER STREET.
ISRAEL TOP OFFICIALS SAYS THEY ARE TAKING THE ATTACK AS A VERY SERIOUS TERROR INCIDENT.

British Foreign Secretary says Iran is very much behind the attack on Israeli Cargo ship Mercer Street.
UK says they are consulting it's allies on how to retaliate to the extreme incident which was taken by Iran.

'Iran is a global problem': Israel weighs response to deadly attack on ship | The Times of Israel

www.timesofisrael.com

Israel’s defense leadership convened Friday night to discuss what it believes to be an Iranian attack on a ship with Israeli ties that killed two foreign crewmen, as a senior government source accused Tehran of “sowing destruction” and said it was proving itself to be “a global problem.”

Meanwhile, state-owned Iranian news network Al-Alam, citing “well-informed sources,” said the attack was in response to a reported Israeli strike in Syria that killed “two resistance men” last week.

Two ship crewmen, a British and Romanian national, died in Thursday night’s attack off the coast of Oman on the oil tanker Mercer Street.

An unnamed US official told The Associated Press it appeared that a so-called “suicide drone” was used in the attack.

A senior Israeli government source said on condition of anonymity Friday evening that “Iran is sowing violence and destruction in every corner of the region. They were so eager to attack an Israeli target that they’ve embroiled themselves and incriminated themselves in the killing of foreign citizens.”

The source said that with a new hardline Iranian president set to be sworn in, “the masks are coming off and no one can pretend they don’t know the character of the Iranian regime.

“Iran isn’t just Israel’s problem, it is a global problem, and its behavior endangers free global shipping and trade. Our campaign against them will continue.”

 

[Ocean]

More Shenanigans going on in the Persian Gulf.


Reportedly there are 4 cargo / oil tanker ships which have electronically been taken under control.

There are 4 ships which their captains have lost control of.
The ships are Kamdhenu, Golden Brilliant, Jag Pooja, and Asphalt Princess, all reported that they were “not under command” – according to MarineTraffic.com




An oil tanker, named the GOLDEN_BRILLIANT that was sailing under the Singapore flag got stuck without any possible maneuverability.
The Golden Brilliant was reportedly hit by a limpit mine according to Persian news agencies.


A C-295 maritime patrol aircraft of Oman's Royal Air Force is currently over the area of the incident in the Persian Gulf.



UK believes that the IRGC is directly involved in the hijacking.
Iran denied the claims that its forces were involved in the Hijacking.

Reuters is quick to blame Iran.

Iran-backed forces seize tanker, maritime sources say; Iran denies it

Iranian-backed forces are believed to have seized an oil tanker in the Gulf off the coast of the United Arab Emirates, three maritime security sources said, after Britain's maritime trade agency reported a "potential hijack" in the area on Tuesday.

www.reuters.com

 

[Ocean]

Hijacking ends in Arabian Sea, says UKMTO, as Oman identifies tanker involved​

Oman on Wednesday identified the Panama-flagged Asphalt Princess as the tanker involved in a hijacking which Britain's maritime trade agency earlier said was over.

The statement by Oman's Maritime Security Centre was the first official confirmation of Tuesday's incident in the Arabian Sea which maritime security sources had told Reuters involved suspected Iranian-backed forces. Iran denied any involvement

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said in a warning notice based on a third-party source on Wednesday that people who had boarded a tanker involved in a "potential hijack" had since left and that the vessel, which it did not identify, was safe.

The AIS tracking status of the asphalt/bitumen tanker Asphalt Princess was "Underway Using Engine" early on Wednesday, according to Refinitiv ship tracking data.


The Oman Maritime Security Centre said in a statement it had received information about the Asphalt Princess being subjected "to a hijacking incident in international waters in the Gulf of Oman", but gave no further details.

"The Royal Air Force of Oman is carrying out sorties near the area, and the Royal Navy of Oman deployed several ships to help secure international waters in the region," it added.

The boarding took place in an area in the Arabian Sea leading to the Strait of Hormuz, the conduit for about a fifth of the world's sea-borne oil exports.

Iran's senior armed forces spokesman, Abolfazl Shekarchi, on Tuesday denounced reports of maritime incidents and hijacking in the Gulf area as "a kind of psychological warfare and setting the stage for new bouts of adventurism".


Tensions have simmered in the region after a suspected drone attack last week on an Israeli-managed tanker off the Omani coast killed two crew and was blamed on Iran by the United States, Israel and Britain. Iran denied responsibility.

The United States and Britain have said they would work with allies to respond to the attack on the Mercer Street, a Liberian-flagged, Japanese-owned petroleum product tanker.

Tehran has said it would respond to any threat against its security.

Regional tensions have worsened since 2018, when Washington re-imposed sanctions on Iran after abandoning a 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and global powers.

 

[Ocean]

Sorry here is the link for the above article

Hijacking ends in Arabian Sea, says UKMTO, as Oman identifies tanker involved

Oman on Wednesday identified the Panama-flagged Asphalt Princess as the tanker involved in a hijacking which Britain's maritime trade agency earlier said was over.

www.reuters.com

 

[Ocean]

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Two tanker attack incidents within the span of less than a week are now being blamed by the US, UK, and Israel on Iran. First there was last Thursday's Mercer Street tanker drone attack which left two British and Romanian crew members dead, and then on Tuesday there was the hijacking on the Panama-flagged Asphalt Princess - boarded by a half dozen armed Iranian militants.

Since the Israeli-managed Mercer came under assault, Israeli leaders have been openly proposing military action to allies, saying it may be needed to stop the Iranian attacks. Israel says it has provided allies like the United States with "hard evidence" that Tehran was indeed behind the drone attack in the Arabian Sea. And now Israel's defense chief says the country is prepared to strike in Iran in his latest comments.

F-35 file, Lockheed Martin
Defense Minister Benny Gantz was asked directly in an interview published Thursday with YNet News whether Israel is prepared to launch a military attack on Iran, to which he replied simply with, "Yes".

Gantz explained Israel's military stands ready to engage in a "multi-front" conflict - likely a reference to Syria where it's already conducting weekly airstrikes against "Iran-backed" groups allied with Assad.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1423224293899517956

He specifically charged that Islamic Jihad and Hamas rocket-fire out of Gaza had the direct backing of the Islamic Republic. There's also Iran ally Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, where this week rare exchanges of fire have taken place along Israel's northern border.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1423072147170332683

He addressed this new Lebanon flare-up, saying "Our actions overnight were meant to send a clear message that we will not accept such attacks."

"I hope we are not forced into further action. Lebanon is in a state of chaos caused in a large extend by the Hezbollah terror group."

Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz, Getty Images
"Iran seeks to pose a multi-front challenge to Israel, as such is building up its forces in Lebanon and Gaza, deploying militias in Syria and Iraq and maintaining its supporters in Yemen. Iran is a global and regional problem and an Israeli challenge," Gantz told Ynet further.

"We need to continue to develop our abilities to cope with multiple fronts, for this is the future," he added.

 

[United Gnosis]

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