Pirates have kidnapped nine crew members from a Norwegian shipping vessel off the coast of Benin in West Africa. The vessel was carrying gypsum, a mineral used as a fertiliser, and was at anchor, owner JJ Ugland said.  The Gulf of Guinea is world’s most dangerous piracy hotspot, says the International Maritime Bureau (IMB).  Some 62 seafarers have been captured …

The US formed a naval coalition to protect navigation in a region critical to global oil supplies after tanker attacks. Representatives from more than 60 countries – including Israel but not Iran – continued meeting in Bahrain on Tuesday to discuss maritime security following attacks on tankers in the Gulf and Saudi oil installations. The United States, other Western states, and Saudi …

An explosion has caused a fire on an Iranian tanker near the coast of Saudi Arabia, Iranian media say. The vessel, belonging to Iran’s national oil company (NOIC), was 60 miles (97km) from the Saudi port city of Jeddah when the incident took place, reports say. The ship’s two main storage tanks are said to be damaged, spilling oil into …

By Tamara Qiblawi, CNN Updated 1054 GMT (1854 HKT) September 23, 2019 (CNN) – The British-flagged oil tanker Stena Impero is “free to leave,” Iranian officials said Monday, marking the end of a two-month standoff between Tehran and London over the detained vessel. Iran’s government spokesperson, Ali Rabiei, said that the legal process relating to the ship’s seizure had been concluded …

The Iran-backed Houthi militias’ refusal to implement a legitimate Yemen government order on collecting customs fees on all oil derivative revenues at Hodeidah port has led the halt of ten vessels in the Red Sea. At Houthi orders, the oil tankers did not pay the revenues and did not disclose the certificate of origin of the shipment that ensures its …

DUBAI (Reuters) – Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have seized a vessel in the Gulf for allegedly smuggling 250,000 litres of diesel fuel to the United Arab Emirates, Iran’s semi-official Students News agency ISNA reported on Monday.  “It was detained near Iran’s Greater Tunb island in the Persian Gulf…the crew have been handed over to legal authorities in the southern Hormozgan province,” …