The recent terrorists attack on an Egyptian naval vessel, two miles off the coast of the Sinai Peninsula, shows inherent risk for commercial ships transiting close to conflict zones.
The UN recently removed the Gulf of Suez from the list of High Risk Area (HRA). The current ISPS security level for Egypt remains at ‘Level 1 – normal’.
Many commercial ships were damaged during transits through such conflict zones :
- In the ‘80s the Alaska II sank in the Red Sea after striking a mine
- In the Persian Gulf, an Iranian rocket hit the M Sea Isle City
- In the ‘90s, off the coast of Eritrea, terrorist rockets sank the Polish flagged Boleslaw Krzyzwusty
- In 2014, the German cruise ship AIDAdiva had debris rain on her upper deck from a Hamas rocket that exploded above the ship
- In 2015, jet fighters in Libyan ports attacked multiple commercial ships
- In Tunisia, a terrorist killed 22 cruise ship passengers during shore leave
- Near Yemen in 2002, a terrorist bomb set the Limburg ablaze
- In 2010, the M. Star was hit with a waterborne explosive in the Straits of Hormuz
- In 2013, the Cosco Asia was impacted with two rockets in the Suez Canal
CSO’s ability to identify, assess and mitigate potential risks to Shipping operation, well in advance, remains very crucial for the safety and security of commercial shipping operations in the world.
