The Persian Gulf and nearby areas

[Pelican]

Navy Lookout reposted
Hananya Naftali
BREAKING: Iranian militants took over a Portuguese ship named "MCS ARIES" near the Strait of Hormuz - this is a ship that is partially owned by an Israeli businessman.
Video https://twitter.com/HananyaNaftali/stat ... 0578553894

[Pelican]

Navy Lookout reposted
Hananya Naftali
BREAKING: Iranian militants took over a Portuguese ship named "MCS ARIES" near the Strait of Hormuz - this is a ship that is partially owned by an Israeli businessman.
Video https://twitter.com/HananyaNaftali/stat ... 0578553894

Ministry of Defence reposted
Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP
The seizure of the cargo ship MSC Aries by Iran is unacceptable and a blatant violation of international law.
We call for the unconditional release of the ship and its crew without delay.
We are working with partners to prevent escalation in the Middle East.
Iran must cease their destabilising behaviour immediately.

[Pelican]

Somali pirates say hijacked ship MV Abdullah released after $5 million ransom was paid

April 14 (Reuters) - Somali pirates released a hijacked ship, MV Abdullah, and its crew of 23 early on Sunday after a $5 million ransom was paid, according to two pirates.
"The money was brought to us two nights ago as usual... we checked whether the money was fake or not. Then we divided the money into groups and left, avoiding the government forces," Abdirashiid Yusuf, one of the pirates, told Reuters.
He added the ship had been released with all its crew.

Continues https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/so ... 0001cb0e67

[Pelican]

TankerTrackers.com, Inc.
As anticipated, we were able to locate the MSC ARIES (9857169) which was hijacked by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) two days ago (2024-04-13) in the international waters of the Gulf of Oman. The vessel was taken to the Hormozgan archipelago, between the islands of Qeshm and Hormuz. Her dimensions and container layout perfectly matches her last AIS-based sighting.
The vessel is being held not too far away from the three tankers which Iran also hijacked last year; these being the ADVANTAGE SWEET (9587192), NIOVI (9292498) and ST NIKOLAS (9524475). All three are being held in the Khuran Straits (Clarence Strait, in English) and Iran has already seized the Kuwaiti oil onboard the ADVANTAGE SWEET a few days ago with help of their VLCC supertanker NAVARZ (9079078). Iran chose to do this as compensation for sanctions. The NIOVI was empty at the time of her taking, and ST NIKOLAS is still laden with a million barrels of Iraqi oil.

[Pelican]

Laser Rocket Anti-Drone Systems Being Rushed To U.S. Forces In The Middle East

The Navy put in an order for new Electronic Advanced Ground Launcher System just ahead of Iran’s missile and drone strikes on Israel.

The U.S. Navy recently put in a rush order for new counter-drone systems that use laser-guided 70mm rockets as their effectors to help defend American forces in the Middle East. The Electronic Advanced Ground Launcher System (EAGLS) is very similar in form and function to U.S.-supplied VAMPIREs that Ukrainians are now using in combat. The purchase of the EAGLS came just days ahead of Iran's unprecedented missile and drone strikes on Israel, which have only added to long-standing concerns about uncrewed aerial and other threats to U.S. forces in the region.

Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) announced on April 12 that it had awarded a firm-fixed-price contract with a not-to-exceed value of $24,186,464 to MSI Defense Solutions for the purchase of five EAGLS Counter-Unmanned Aerial Systems (C-UAS). This sole-source deal also includes various ancillary items and training support.

EAGLS uses laser-guided 70mm Advanced Precision Killer Weapon System II (APKWS II) rockets, as seen in the video below, to knock down drones.

Continues https://www.twz.com/land/laser-rocket-a ... iddle-east

[Pelican]

For those who are interested in the Middle East matters/issues:

IISS News
Iran projects its influence in the Middle East through a variety of complex relationships with regional partners.
IISS Archive | Publication 2019: 18-month long study based on field work, interviews and open source analysis.
See https://www.iiss.org/publications/strat ... n-dossier/

[Pelican]

OSINTdefender
The M/V Behshad, an Iranian Surveillance and Command Ship operated by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) that has been Loitering in the Gulf of Aden for the last several months, where U.S. Intelligence Officials believe she has been providing Targeting Data on Commercial Shipping and Coalition Navy Vessels to the Houthi Terrorist Group in Yemen, has appeared back near Port in Iran. This Shift in Posture comes after a Cyberattack on the Ship by the U.S. Military in February, which led to the Ship having Disappeared from Ship Tracking for a Short Period, only to Reappear and then again Disappear after the Israeli Strike on Damascus which resulted in the Death of several IRGC Officials.
See attached

David Cameron asked. "What would Britian do if a hostile nation flattened one of our consulates."
https://twitter.com/i/status/1780946125626773506

[Pelican]

CTF 150 Concludes Successful Focused Operation Crimson Barracuda

Date: April 29, 2024
Author: Combined Maritime Forces
Combined Maritime Forces Public Affairs

MANAMA, Bahrain – The Canadian-led Combined Task Force (CTF) 150 of the Combined Maritime Forces wrapped up Crimson Barracuda, a focused operation to counter narcotics smugglers in the Indian Ocean, Arabian Sea and Gulf of Oman, April 14.

During the operation, units from the Royal Navy, Indian Navy, U.S. Costal Guard, and U.S. Navy seized approximately 4,917 kg of narcotics, including two seizures in one day. Indian and American air assets as well as Canadian space-based intelligence conducted surveillance and reconnaissance of suspicious vessels, contributing to the operation’s success.

Continues https://combinedmaritimeforces.com/2024 ... barracuda/

[Pelican]

Contenders vie for Gulf’s growing UAV market

Bumper orders for uninhabited systems in the Gulf region reflect ever-growing demand for multiple classes of UAV, an increasingly competitive market, and the emergence of domestic players.

Continues https://www.iiss.org/online-analysis/mi ... av-market/