Access the latest Maritime Security Threat Advisory for the week commencing 10th July 2023.
👉 The Black Sea grain deal, facilitating Ukraine's grain exports and serving as a crucial income source, faces potential discontinuation after July 17. The UN aid chief has warned Russia against ending the deal, suggesting that it could impact Moscow's exports. While Russia threatens to quit due to unmet demands, the EU contemplates sanction exemptions for the Russian Agricultural Bank to persuade Russia to extend the deal. Amid these tensions, Ukraine and Turkey are discussing deal extension possibilities.
👉 Within the last reporting period Iran has continued to disrupt commercial shipping with the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman. Initial reporting indicated that Iranian vessels had attempted to interdict the MT Richmond Voyager in the Gulf of Oman having claimed the vessel had been involved in a collision within the Strait of Hormuz.
👉 Separately, the U.S. Navy reported that Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) seized a Tanzanian-flagged tanker in international waters in the Gulf, located approximately 59 nautical miles northeast of the Saudi Arabian port city of Dammam. Suspected of smuggling, the vessel was reportedly carrying fuel oil.
👉 The U.S. Navy monitored the situation but did not intervene further. Iran has not commented on the incident. This event is the latest in a series of IRGC interferences with commercial shipping in the Gulf, including the seizure of oil tankers in May 2023 and Greek oil tankers in July 2022.