Yemen Monitor / Agencies:
Wednesday witnessed the highest level of Iranian naval attacks on ships off the coasts of the UAE, Oman, and the Strait of Hormuz, with three container ships targeted following Trump’s call for oil tankers to be firm and transit the Strait.
According to reports published by “Reuters,” the Thai-flagged bulk carrier “Mayury Naree” was hit by a projectile in the Strait of Hormuz. The ship’s operator, “Precious Shipping,” confirmed that a fire broke out on board, necessitating the evacuation of the entire crew.
In a related context, the Japanese container ship “ONE Majesty” was struck by another projectile 25 nautical miles northwest of Ras Al Khaimah, UAE, resulting in minor damage.
Meanwhile, “Vanguard” Risk Management recorded damage to the hull of the cargo ship “Star Gwyneth” following a similar attack northwest of Dubai, while the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) confirmed the crew’s safety and the absence of environmental impacts.
These developments follow a series of targetings that began earlier this month, where a crew member of the oil tanker “MKD Fium” was killed off the Omani coast, coinciding with an attack on the tanker “Hercules Star” off Saqr Port in Ras Al Khaimah, and the tanker “Skylight” north of the Kumzar area in Oman.
Reports also recorded on March 2nd that the American tanker “Stena Imperative” was hit by two projectiles at Port Salman, followed on the 3rd of the same month by damage to the tankers “Libra Trader” and “Gold Oak” off the coast of Fujairah.
On March 4th, an attack on the Maltese container ship “Safane Prestige” caused a fire in the engine room and the evacuation of its crew north of the Sultanate of Oman—the same location where, on March 6th, a tugboat providing assistance to the damaged vessel was targeted.
The operations expanded to include the port of Khor Al-Zubair in Iraq on March 5th, where the tanker “Sonangol Namibe” was targeted by a remote-controlled boat bomb (WBIED). Finally, on March 7th, the UKMTO reported a potential drone attack targeting a ship north of the Saudi city of Al Jubail, leading to the evacuation of most of its crew members.
