MSB 01/2025 - Vessel Incident in the Arabian Gulf
28 January 2025
Indian Ocean, Red Sea, Arabian Sea 01/2025
28 January 2025
MARINE SECURITY BULLETIN –01/2025
Dear Shipowners, Operators and Masters
Subject: Vessel Incident in the Arabian Gulf
On January 23, a vessel was approached by a small military craft in position 26-53.43N 052-37.0E approximately 89 nautical miles northeast of Ras Tanura, Saudi Arabia transiting the Northern Arabian Gulf. The military craft was flashing a green laser light at the vessel’s bridge, demanding the vessel to turn towards Iranian territorial waters. The Master implemented a pre-determined response plan in accordance with the Joint Maritime Information Centre (JMIC) Bridge Emergency Reference Card #6, which can be found in https://www.ukmto.org/partnerproducts/jmic-products .
The vessel did not comply and increased speed to distance itself from the Iranian coast. The military craft ceased pursuit after 30 minutes and the vessel continued its voyage to its following port in Kuwait. There is no report of injuries to the crew or risk of pollution nor any damage to the vessel.
JMIC assesses this suspicious approach as being linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) large scale exercise, Great Prophet XVIII widely reported in Iranian media sources.
Recommendations
Vessels transiting the Northern Arabian Gulf are advised to transit with caution and report any suspicious activity to UKMTO. UKMTO operates a Voluntary Reporting Scheme (VRS) for the Indian Ocean, specifically Red Sea, Gulf Of Aden, and Arabian Sea, (In accordance with the Maritime Security Chart Q6099) administered by the Maritime Trade Information Centre (MTIC)/UKMTO (Dubai).
UKMTO acts as the primary point of contact for merchant vessels and liaison with military forces in the region. Vessels are encouraged to register with UKMTO and report their positions (By email daily at 08.00 UTC) whilst operating in the area.
The MSCHOA is the planning and coordination centre for the EU Naval Forces (EU NAVFOR).
MSCHOA encourages companies to register their ships’ movements before entering the Voluntary Reporting Area (VRA)
Contact Information
In an emergency, vessels transiting the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden and Arabian Sea, should contact
NAVCENT Battle Watch Phone: +973-1785-3879; Naval Cooperation and Guidance for Shipping (NCAGS) Primary Watch Floor Phone: +973-1785-0033, Contingency Mobile Phone: +973- 3940-4523, Email: m-ba-cusnc-ncags@us.navy.mil.
Contact MSCHOA prior to transiting the Western Indian Ocean, the Somali Basin, Gulf of Aden, Gulf of Oman and the Red Sea.
The contact details of MSCHOA are:
Maritime Security Centre – Horn of Africa (MSCHOA)
Email postmaster@mschoa.org
Telephone +44 1923 958545 +44 1923 958700 Fax +44 1923 958520 Website www.mschoa.org
When transiting the Western Indian Ocean, the Somali Basin, Gulf of Aden, Gulf of Oman and Red Sea.
Register their vessels with UKMTO
Email: watchkeepers@ukmto.org and ukmto@eim.ae
Phone: +44 - 2392-222060, +971-50-552-3215
Fax +44 1923 958520
Please keep LISCR’s Security Department informed of any security incidents at:
Office of the Senior Deputy Commissioner of Maritime Affairs
Republic of Liberia
22980 Indian Creek Drive, Suite 200 Dulles, Virginia 20166 USA
D: +1 571 495 5944 / O: +1 703 790 3434 / F: +1 703 790 5655 Email: Security@liscr.com
