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Two ships have been attacked in the Red Sea on Oct 1, 2024. The 'Minoan Courage', en route from Duqm to Suez, has been targeted about 97 nautical miles northwest of Hodeidah with initial reports suggesting it has been hit by a missile. Short time before, the tanker 'Cordelia Moon', en route from Sikka, became the first ship to be targeted by the Houthi terrorists in 29 days on the early morning hours. An uncrewed surface vessel (USV) slammed into the ship about 64 nautical miles northwest of Hodeidah. The ballast tank 6 at port side has been punctured, and the ship was taking on water. The crew was reported to be safe.

It could take weeks to put out the fires aboard the 'Sounion' after it was towed away from the danger zone and moved further north to safer waters in the Red Sea a week ago. Specialist teams were focused on putting out the flames and preventing further blasts from gases that have built up in the cargo tanks. A complex stabilisation and firefighting operation was due to begin shortly. Specialist equipment has now arrived and was being prepared for the firefighting phase. None of the crude cargo has leaked from the vessel, though it was hit three times by the Houthis. The missiles struck the starboard side, damaging the engine compartment and starting a fire. The crude cargo is owned by Greek refiner Motor Oil.

A team of the International Red Cross has visited the 25 crew members still on board of the 'Galaxy Leader' in the port city of Hodeidah on Sep 25, coordinated with local authorities, in order to monitor conditions of detention and the treatment of detainees. The organization is trying to facilitate links between the detainees and their families or diplomatic representations of their respective home countries. They were from Bulgaria, the Philippines, Romania, Ukraine and Mexico. Several of the 17 Filipino crew members were experiencing significant health issues, showing symptoms of malaria. Report with photo: https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/red-cross-visits-crew-of-hijacked-israel-linked-ship-for-2nd-time-since-being-detained-in-yemen/

Satellite images on Sep 17 have confirmed that the fire on the 'Sounion' was still on at the ship's new location, 81 kilometres off the coast of Eritrea in the Red Sea, following a delicate towing operation over the weekend. Sources suggested that Saudi Arabia will now provide funding for some of the next stages of the salvage operation, which will begin by trying to douse the vessel before starting a ship-to-ship transfer operation to remove the 1.1 million barrels of Iraqi heavy crude on board. Dousing the blaze and assessing the vessel’s condition were preconditions for the decision for an STS. The salvage teams will also have to patch up damage caused by the explosive charges the Houthis had placed aboard. Reports with photo: https://www.businessinsider.in/international/news/satellite-images-show-the-difficult-mission-to-save-a-stricken-oil-tanker-in-the-red-sea/amp_articleshow/113465230.cms https://sea-man.org/news/mt-sounion-fire.html

The 'Royal TB 17', towing the barge 'OB Royal 17', was attacked by pirates in the southern waters of Tanjung Malatayur, Pulang Pisau Regency, Central Kalimantan, on the morning of Sep 22, 2024. The ship was en route from Bagendang Port, Sampit, to Stagen Kotabaru, when the attack occurred in pos. 04°12’138” S - 113°49’371” E at approximately 6:30 p.m. WIB, The tug was approached by a small boat carrying five armed men. Four of the assailants boarded the ÄOB Royal 17', leaving one person on the small boat. The attackers, armed with firearms and sharp weapons, locked all crew members inside the barge’s toilet and took control of the vessel. Then the pirates moved to the ''Royal TB 17', where they also threatened and restrained the captain and crew in the mess room, binding them with plastic ropes. During the attack, the assailants siphoned the fame cargo onto a tanker while also stealing communication devices and valuables from the crew. The piracy lasted between 8 and 10 hours, Items stolen included 21 mobile phones, cash amounting to approximately IDR 17,200,000, and navigational equipment such as a Furuno radar and binoculars. The exact amount of fame stolen was still under investigation. Additionally, the pirates damaged communication and navigational tools, making it difficult for the crew to report the incident immediately. The perpetrators were reportedly speaking in a Malay or Banjar dialect. Three of the attackers were described as follows: two were thin, approximately 168 cm tall, while the other was stockier, with a similar height. The authorities have coordinated with the Samuda Navy to pursue the suspects. The tug was heading towards Samuda estuary for further action, including assistance with anchoring at Das Mentaya waters.