It was late Monday evening that the Norwegian-owned ship MT “Strinda” was hit by a missile in the Red Sea outside Yemen. The management team believes that it all boils down to a misunderstanding. But possible attacks in the area worry the industry. – This has greatly worried the owners’ association. That’s according to Sigvald Sveinbjørnsson in Maritime Bergen, a membership foundation for maritime industries. He fears more attacks in the future. – I am very worried about it. It is a large area that is difficult to control and be sure of. There is a relatively narrow coastal strip here, so you don’t need a very long missile radius to be able to hit ships. The rocket came from the Houthi militia. A spokesperson has confirmed that they have “conducted an operation” against the ship “Strinda”. Assessing the safety on an ongoing basis “Strinda” was on its way from Southeast Asia to Italy with biofuel. No one on board was injured by the rocket or the fire he started. The Indian crew put out the fire. With the help of the French and American navies, “Strinda” made it to a safe port, says the ship’s crew. Facts about the ship “Strinda” “Strinda” is a chemical tanker owned by the Bergen shipping company J. Ludwig Mowinckels Rederi. The home port is Bergen. The ship is just over 144 meters long and just over 24 meters wide and was built in Japan. Source: J. Ludwig Mowinckels Rederi – The most important thing is the crew, i.e. that no one gets hurt, says Sveinbjørnsson. He is worried about what could have happened if the ship had a cargo other than vegetable oil. – You can imagine diesel loads, petrol or other types of chemicals. Then this can create very big challenges, he says. According to Maritime Bergen, the shipowners’ association in Bergen follows the situation closely and assesses safety on an ongoing basis. On Tuesday, the management team told news that they thought the whole thing was a misunderstanding. Daily manager at AJ Mowinckels Rederi, Geir Belsnes, said that the ship had “a tentative agreement” to carry cargo out of a port in Israel in January 2024. This trip was to take place after the current trip, subject to further escalation in the area. – The militia has probably got hold of an appearance list in time which is probably the background for the attack. They probably misunderstood and thought the ship was going to Israel already now, said daily manager Geir Belsnes at AJ Mowinckels Rederi. – Very large consequences The incident occurred around 60 nautical miles north of the Bab al-Mandab strait, which lies south of the Suez Canal. The canal is central to the transport of goods by sea. The Houthi militia has gone after international shipping as part of a regional conflict resulting from the war between Hamas and Israel. On Saturday, they announced that all ships bound for Israel are targets, regardless of nationality. Sveinbjørnsson in Maritime Bergen believes that it is no insurance that the militia has said that they only attack boats that are supposed to conduct trade with Israel. – The danger here is that the entire trade flow up along the Suez Canal stops. It will have very big consequences. I will notice it on my body. He refers to when the canal was blocked for a long period, because a container ship got stuck across it two and a half years ago. – We’re not just talking about fun things like bicycles and consumer goods. Many of the chemical tankers carry around vegetable oils and chemical products which are absolutely crucial for us to make the products we make. He points out that the military presence has increased in the area. – After things escalated and the war in Gaza broke out, all the powers that want the sea lanes to be open flocked to the area to keep the waterways open. According to Maritime Bergen, Norway has around the fourth largest shipping fleet in the world, measured in value. 40 percent of the Norwegian fleet belongs in Bergen. – There are several Bergen and Norwegian chemical tankers in the area now. Sveinbjørnsson points out that sailing around the world is mostly safe. – Otherwise, shipping goods would have been colossally expensive. No one had done it, and no one had insured cargo.
ttn-69
Norwegian ship hit by rocket – Maritime Bergen fears more attacks on Norwegian ships in the future – news Vestland
