Shipping companies were caught unprepared impact on maritime traffic transiting the Middle East determined by the attacks launched on Saturday by the US and Israel vs. Iran? From the response to the events of the main maritime carriers and companies that operate or are directly interested in maritime activities with the region Middle Eastern, it seems so. If ship traffic in the region, particularly on the route through the Red Sea, was significantly reduced after the militiamen Yemeni Houthis had begun to carry out attacks on ships in transit on the route and had shown signs of recovery only since last autumn when these attacks had ceased, in the In recent weeks, repeated alarms for possible action U.S. military against Iran had led to several shipping companies to slow down, if not freeze, programs for the return of their ships on the routes that pass through the strait of Bab el-Mandeb and the Suez Canal and the Strait of Hormuz. Surprised by the Israeli-American attacks, the ships still in use in the region have largely been stopped or, where possible, diverted to safer routes.

Relating only to the maritime transport segment of the containers, not to be completely unprepared for a sudden escalation of the crisis seems to have been only the companies Hapag-Lloyd and Maersk Line, cooperating under their vessel sharing agreement Gemini Cooperation. Friday, briefcase about before the start of the attacks on Iran, the two companies have informed their customers of the decision to change the routes of some ships used in their ME11 services, linking India and the Middle East with the Mediterranean, and MECL, connecting India and the Middle East with the East Coast of the United States United. In the communication, they explained that they were "finding unforeseen restrictions arising from a wider context operating in the Red Sea region. After discussing with the our security partners - specified Hapag-Lloyd and Maersk - it is evident that these restrictions are making It is difficult to avoid delays in transit in this area".

It is plausible to assume that these 'partners for the security" were not unaware of the impending attacks launched by the USA and Israel against Iran or, at least, by a imminent worsening of the crisis. It is possible that these have other companies also informed about possible risks which, perhaps, have decided not to change their schedules or, if they did, they didn't give any news to their customers. To inform customers, however, Just before the start of the attacks, it was Saturday the Israeli ZIM with an unusually important communication to customers showing the time of publication. The time indicated on the ad of the Haifa company is 5:43 in the press release versions in the various languages published on the company's website, that is, an hour and a half before the start of the attacks against Iran, with the exception of the English-language announcement indicating that time 3:30.

That for ships the situation in the region is alarming becoming very risky as revealed by the information released yesterday evening by the British United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) on several attacks on ships that took place in the area of the Strait of Hormuz. One of these, the most serious, is was conducted against the chemical-product tanker Skylight. The Oman's Maritime Security Center said that "the oil tanker, flying the flag of the Republic of Palau, is was hit five nautical miles north of the port of Khasab, in Musandam Governorate. All 20 crew members were evacuated, including 15 Indian nationals and five nationals Iranians. Initial reports indicate that Four crew members suffered injuries of various severity and were transferred to receive medical treatment necessary". In addition, the Omani center communicated that "the rescue operations were carried out in coordination with various military, security and civilian agencies, demonstrating national readiness to respond to maritime accidents".

Replying to the note from the Maritime Security Center, the Register Palau Naval Headquarters specified that the Skylight was removed from the Palau Naval Register last January "in compliance with established compliance procedures from the Registry and applicable regulatory requirements. At the moment of the reported incident - highlighted the Palau organization - the ship was not registered with the Palau Naval Registry".

The Skylight, owned by the Emirati Sea Force Inc, is operated by the UAE's Red Sea Ship Management. Both the ship and the ship management company are affected by US sanctions against Iran. On the 18th In December, in fact, the US Treasury Department announced that Egyptian maritime entrepreneur Hatem Elsaid Farid Ibrahim Sakr owns and operates several companies, including Red Sea Ship Management LLC and High Seas Petroleum LLC based in the Emirates United Arab Islands, with the last formerly known as Petrofleet Energy Trading LLC, which took care of the transport of large quantity of Iranian petroleum products in the region of Persian Gulf, also in coordination with Sahara Thunder, a associated with the Iranian Ministry of Defense and the logistics of the Iranian armed forces. The U.S. Department of Transportation specified that Red Sea Ship Management manages and operates the Palau Skylight flagged oil tankers, Khadiga and Intan Premier, each of which transported products Iranian oil such as naphtha, bitumen and fuel oil. Second what was reported by the Department, Skylight, formerly known as Al Moustafa, it was acquired by Sakr in June 2023 and, immediately after the acquisition, is used for a ship-to-ship transfer of condensate in the interest of Sahara Thunder.

Referring to the attack on Skylight, the secretary General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), Arsenio Dominguez, said he was "deeply concerned about the reports that several seafarers were injured in attacks on merchant ships. No attacks against seafarers civilian ships - he underlined - has never been justified. These crews are simply doing their job work and must be protected from the effects of broader geopolitics. Freedom of navigation is a fundamental principle of international maritime law, and it must be respected by all parties, without exception."

"I am carefully monitoring the situation - he said continued Dominguez - and I urge all shipping companies to exercise extreme caution. Where possible, ships should avoid transiting through the affected region until the conditions will not improve. I also invite all parties interested in remaining vigilant against disinformation and rely exclusively on verified and authoritative sources when they make decisions regarding navigation. My thought is addressed to injured seafarers and their families. Their safety and their well-being are our top priority and the IMO continue to work closely with Member States and partners to support safe navigation and to support the principle that civil seafarers must never be damaged".