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☆ 'Iran is in for the long haul' with oil tanker hijacks, expert says, as U.S. considers more sanctions
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-16 | by ( Lori Ann Larocco | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Before this weekend's tanker seizure, the last vessel Iran hijacked was the St. Nikolas on January 1. A Planet Labs satellite image of the location of the MSC Aries and other tankers recently hijacked by Iran. Planet Labs PBCAs the U.S. considers more sanctions against Iran in response to its recent attack on Israel, Iran has been using the hijacked ships as a means of sanctions retaliation. Iran chose to do this as a way to compensate for sanctions," Madani said. In a note to clients, ClearView highlighted that the House of Representatives added several Iran sanctions bills to its calendar for consideration this week, under suspension rules, including new sanctions on Iranian oil exports to China.

Persons: Nikolas, Houthis, Samir Madani, Eyal Ofer's, Madani, Janet Yellen, Helima Croft, Andy Lipow, Brent, Lipow, Kevin Book, Book Organizations: Anadolu, Getty, MSC Aries, U.S . Naval Forces Central Command, Galaxy Leader, MSC, Planet Labs, U.S . Energy Information Agency, United Arab, JPMorgan, CNBC, Lipow Oil Associates, ClearView Energy Partners, US, UN Locations: Gulf of Oman, Hormuz, Anadolu, Iran, Israel, Gaza, U.S, Iranian, Khuran, China, Russia, Malaysia, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Strait, Tehran, East, North Africa, India, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq, France, Germany

☆ Vessel seized in Strait of Hormuz amid Iran tensions, shipping firms say
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-13 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

A vessel has been seized by "regional authorities" between the United Arab Emirates and Iran, maritime security agencies said on Saturday, days after Iran warned it could close the area to sea traffic. UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said the vessel had been seized 50 nautical miles (92 km) northeast of the Fujairah, an area close to the Strait of Hormuz that forms the entrance to the Gulf. Marine tracking sites said the vessel was the MSC Aries of Zodiac Maritime, an international shipping company partly owned by Israeli businessman Eyal Ofer. Reuters could not immediately confirm that and UKMTO said it could not provide more information when asked if the regional authorities were Iran and if the seized vessel was MSC Aries. The United States and Britain have carried out strikes against Houthi targets in response to the attacks on shipping.

Persons: Eyal Ofer, UKMTO, Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps Alireza Tangsiri, Abraham, Joe Biden Organizations: United Arab, Maritime Trade Operations, ., MSC Aries, Zodiac Maritime, Zodiac, MSC, Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, Israel, Abraham Accords, Revolutionary Guards Locations: United Arab Emirates, Iran, Hormuz, U.S, UAE, United States, Gaza, Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Syria's, Damascus, Tehran, Yemen's Iran, Britain

☆ Iran seizes cargo ship in Strait of Hormuz, Israel goes on high alert
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-13 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Blaming Israel — which has neither confirmed nor denied responsibility — Iran vowed retaliation. Jordan on Saturday declared its airspace closed, in a possible precautionary move given the likelihood of its territory being overflown by any missiles exchanged by Iran and Israel. On Friday, Biden warned Iran against attacking Israel but said such a scenario could be imminent. On Tuesday, the Revolutionary Guards' naval head, Alireza Tangsiri, said the force could close the Strait of Hormuz, which lies between Iran and the United Arab Emirates, if necessary. The United States and Britain have carried out strikes against Houthi targets in response to the attacks on shipping.

Persons: Israel —, Zodiac, Eyal Ofer, Israel Katz, Joe Biden, Biden, Lloyd Austin, Yoav Gallant, Gallant, Alireza Tangsiri, Abraham, Hasan Alhasan Organizations: Iran's Revolutionary Guards, Hamas, Jordan, Saturday, Guards, Aries, MSC, Gortal Shipping, Zodiac Maritime, House, Iran, U.S . Defense, Pentagon, State, Revolutionary Guards, United Arab, Israel, International Institute for Strategic Studies, MSC Aries, Maritime Information Center Locations: Iranian, Syria's, Damascus, Strait, Hormuz, Israel, Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, Iraq, Tehran, Iran, Iran's, State, United States, United Arab Emirates, UAE, Britain

☆ Iran Seizes Commercial Ship Linked to Israel
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-13 | by ( Christopher F. Schuetze | More About Christopher F. Schuetze | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Tehran has vowed a retaliatory strike after blaming Israel for an attack on an Iranian embassy building in Syria that killed 12 people, among them top military generals. Iran is a backer of Hamas, Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthi rebels in Yemen, but has so far stayed clear of direct involvement. On Friday, President Biden said that he expected Iran to launch a retaliatory attack “sooner than later,” and reiterated that the United States remained committed to the defense of Israel. It was not immediately clear if the seizure of the ship was part of Iran’s promised response to the attack in Syria, but it was not the first time Iran had directly seized a commercial vessel. Before the war in Gaza, the United States said that Iran had “harassed, attacked or interfered” with more than a dozen internationally flagged merchant ships in recent years.

Persons: Eyal Ofer, Israel, Israel Katz, Biden, ”, Iran’s Organizations: MSC, Zodiac Maritime, Zodiac Group, ”, Iran’s Locations: Israel, Tehran, Iranian, Syria, Gaza, Iran, Lebanon, Yemen, United States, Oman

☆ Iranian navy seizes Israel-linked container ship amid escalating tensions in Middle East
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-13 | by ( Adam Pourahmadi | Catherine Nicholls | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) has confirmed the seizure, saying there are 25 crew on board. Portugal’s government said that it was in touch with the Iranian authorities. The Strait of Hormuz, at the northern end of the Gulf of Oman, is the biggest oil chokepoint in the world. The United Kingdom’s Foreign Secretary, David Cameron, wrote on social media platform X that he had spoken with Israeli war cabinet minister Benny Gantz. The two discussed their “shared concerns about Iranian threats to attack Israel,” Cameron wrote, adding that “further escalation in the region is in no-one’s interest and risks further loss of civilian life.”

Persons: CNN —, IRNA, “, Eyal Ofer, Joe Biden, Daniel Hagari, Israel, David Cameron, Benny Gantz, ” Cameron, ” Organizations: CNN, CNN — Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, Navy, Zodiac, Mediterranean Shipping Company, United, Israel Defense Forces, United Kingdom’s Locations: Israeli, Hormuz, Iran, Syria, Portuguese, Gulf of Oman, Tehran, Iranian, United States, Damascus, Gaza, The Iran, Yemen, Red, Israel

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Somalia’s maritime police force on Thursday intensified patrols in the Red Sea following a failed pirate hijacking of a ship in the Gulf of Aden earlier this week. That is the first in many years and has led the Somali government to appeal for International support to deter a resurgence of piracy in the Horn of Africa. No assistance from the African Union Mission in Somalia, the European Union or any international assistance. Somalia had for years been blighted by piracy, with the peak being 2011, when the U.N. says more than 160 attacks were recorded off the Somali coast. The incidents have declined drastically since then, however, largely due to the presence of American and allied navies in international waters.

Persons: Abdullahi Mohamed Ahmed, Mason, ” Mohamed Organizations: Associated Press, U.S, Liberian, Zodiac Maritime, American, Pentagon, Somali, African, Mission, European Union Locations: NAIROBI, Kenya, Gulf, Aden, semiautonomous, Puntland, Shabab, Yemen U.S, of Eden, Israel, Somali, Horn of Africa, Puntland State, Somalia

☆ US Navy foils gunmen attempting to hijack an Israel-linked tanker off Yemen
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( Lloyd Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

A US Navy warship responded to a distress call and secured the seized ship, an official said. London-based Zodiac Maritime is part of Israeli billionaire Eyal Ofer's Zodiac Group. Crew members of the Central Park tanker locked themselves in the ship's safe room for safety, the official told Griffin. Zodiac Maritime has been targeted previously amid a wider yearslong shadow war between Iran and Israel. Both the Symi and the Central Park had been behaving as if they faced a threat in recent days.

Persons: —, Ambrey, Zodiac, Eyal Ofer's, Ofer, Daniel Guy Ofer, Jennifer Griffin, Griffin, Mason, — Jennifer Griffin, @JenGriffinFNC Organizations: US Navy, Zodiac, Service, Attackers, Liberian, Zodiac Maritime, Associated Press, Reuters, Clumvez Shipping Inc, Eyal Ofer's Zodiac Group, Clumvez Shipping, Fox News Chief National, Central, NEW, U.S, US, Navy, Business, United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, CMA, AP, Ships, AIS, Israel, Palestinian Locations: Israel, Yemen, Gulf, Aden, London, Saudi, Houthi, Gulf of Aden, Japanese, Iran, Oman, British, Yemen's, Djibouti, Somalia, Suez, Red

☆ US destroyer has ballistic missiles fired toward it, after responding to attack on commercial tanker
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( Haley Britzky | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

The tanker, identified as the Central Park, had been carrying a cargo of phosphoric acid when its crew called for help that “they were under attack from an unknown entity,” the US Central Command said in a statement. Hours later, at 1:41 a.m. local time on Monday morning, two ballistic missiles were fired from areas controlled by Houthi rebels in Yemen “toward the general location” of the USS Mason and Central Park, the statement said. “The missiles landed in the Gulf of Aden approximately ten nautical miles from the ships,” the statement said. The Mason was finishing its response to the Central Park’s distress call at the time of the missile launches. There was no damage or reported injuries from the Central Park or the Mason as a result, it added.

Persons: Mason, “, ”, Eyal Ofer’s Ofer, Jarvinen, ” Gen, Erik Kurilla, Kurilla Organizations: CNN, US Navy, US Central Command, Central Command, Mason, Zodiac Maritime, Sunday, Liberian, Zodiac, Ofer Global, ” Locations: Yemen, Gulf, Aden, Somalia, Israeli

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Attackers seized a tanker linked to Israel off the coast of Yemen on Sunday, authorities said. The attackers seized the Liberian-flagged Central Park, managed by Zodiac Maritime, in the Gulf of Aden, the company and private intelligence firm Ambrey said. London-based Zodiac Maritime is part of Israeli billionaire Eyal Ofer’s Zodiac Group. Both the Symi and the Central Park had been behaving as if they faced a threat in recent days. The Houthis did not immediately acknowledge the seizure of the Central Park.

Persons: Ambrey, Zodiac, ” Zodiac, Eyal Ofer’s, Ofer, Daniel Guy Ofer, ”, — Organizations: United Arab Emirates, — Attackers, Liberian, Zodiac Maritime, Associated Press, Turkish, Clumvez Shipping Inc, Eyal Ofer’s Zodiac Group, Clumvez Shipping, U.S, United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, CMA, Central, AP, Ships, AIS, Israel Locations: DUBAI, United Arab, Israel, Yemen, Gulf, Aden, London, Saudi, Houthi, U.S, Iran, Oman, British, Yemen's, Djibouti, Somalia, Suez, Palestinian, Red

☆ Israeli-linked chemical tanker seized in Gulf of Aden, US official, vessel company say
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-26 | by ( Aziz El Yaakoubi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

RIYADH, Nov 26 (Reuters) - Unidentified armed individuals have seized a tanker carrying a cargo of phosphoric acid in the Gulf of Aden on Sunday, the vessel's managing company and a U.S. defence official said. It followed a seizure of an Israeli-linked cargo ship by Yemen Houthis, allies of Iran, in the southern Red Sea last week. The group, which also fired ballistic missiles and armed drones at Israel, vowed to target more Israeli vessels. "U.S. and coalition forces are in the vicinity and we are closely monitoring the situation," the U.S. official said. Central Park, a small chemical tanker (19,998 metric tons), is managed by Zodiac Maritime Ltd, a London-headquartered international ship management company owned by Israel's Ofer family.

Persons: Yemen Houthis, Israel's Ofer, rampaged, Aziz El Yaakoubi, William Schomberg, David Goodman, Louise Heavens Organizations: Palestinian, Hamas, U.S, Zodiac Maritime, Liberian, Clumvez Shipping Inc, Britain's Maritime Trade Operations, Thomson Locations: RIYADH, Gulf, Aden, U.S, Central, Israel, Yemen, Iran, London, Somalia, Turkish, Tehran, Israeli, Gaza

☆ U.S. Navy Rescues Ship From Pirate Attack in Gulf of Aden
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-26 | by ( Julian E. Barnes | More About Julian E. Barnes | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

Mason, a Navy destroyer, they fell well short of the mark: They landed in the Gulf of Aden 10 nautical miles from the American ship. The Central Park crew reported they were under attack from an unknown entity, U.S. Central Command said. When the coalition vessels arrived at the Central Park, they demanded the release of the ship. Five armed people fled from the ship and attempted to flee in the small boat they had used to attack the cargo ship. While the Houthi rebels struck in the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden where the Central Park was attacked is far from their area of operations.

Persons: Mason, Aden —, Eyal Ofer Organizations: U.S . Navy, Navy, U.S, U.S . Central Command, American, Central Park, Fox News, Pentagon, Zodiac Maritime, Zodiac Locations: Gulf, Aden, Somalia, Yemen, Iranian, U.S, Iran, Israel, Gaza, Lebanon, Red, London, Israeli

☆ Israel blames Iran for attack on oil tanker
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

JERUSALEM, Feb 19 (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday said that Iran was responsible for a reported attack on an oil tanker last week. Shipping databases linked the tanker to Zodiac Maritime, which is controlled by Israeli shipping magnate Eyal Ofer. "Last week Iran again attacked an oil tanker in the Persian Gulf and harmed the international freedom of navigation," Netanyahu said at a weekly cabinet meeting. Regional defence and security sources have said they suspected the assault was carried out by Iran, which did not comment on the incident. British maritime security company Ambrey Intelligence said unmanned aerial systems had attacked two tankers and one bulk carrier in the Arabian Sea and assessed that Tehran had mounted the attack.

☆ Israeli-linked ship attacked last week in Arabian Sea, manager says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

JERUSALEM, Feb 18 (Reuters) - An Israeli-linked tanker was lightly damaged in an attack last week by an airborne object while sailing through the Arabian Sea, the ship's manager confirmed on Saturday. Regional defence and security sources suspect the assault was carried out by Iran, which did not comment on the incident. Shipping databases linked the tanker to Zodiac Maritime, which is controlled by Israeli shipping magnate Eyal Ofer. We have made the necessary notifications to the relevant authorities," the manager said. British maritime security company Ambrey Intelligence said unmanned aerial systems had attacked two tankers and one bulk carrier in the Arabian Sea and assessed that Tehran had mounted the attack.

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