News / MSC redeploys 'Israel-linked' box ships away from Persian Gulf

MSC Jewel Photo: VesselFinder

MSC, the only operator of Israel-linked containerships in the Persian Gulf, has begun shifting these vessels to other routes, following the seizure by Iranian forces of the MSC Aries on 13 April.

Two ships on the Himalaya Express service, the 14,272 teu MSC Jewel and the 14,952 teu MSC Orion, are among those being diverted.

MSC Jewel is now bound for Jawaharlal Nehru port after departing Lome on Friday. After its scheduled call at Jawaharlal Nehru on Monday, it will skip Abu Dhabi and Jebel Ali and proceed to Nhava Sheva, to be redeployed to the transpacific Sentosa Shikra lane.

MSC Orion will discharge its cargo at Oman’s Salalah port on Sunday and omit its scheduled call at Abu Dhabi next Tuesday. Its next deployment is yet to be confirmed.

Four ships on the Far East-Middle East Falcon service, 15,413 teu MSC Berangere, 15,264 teu MSC Daria, MSC Calypso and MSC Audrey, are also being redirected.

MSC Daria is currently in Umm Qasr, Iraq, and will be redeployed to the transpacific Santana service. MSC Berangere left Umm Qasr on 12 April and skipped its 14 April scheduled call at Abu Dhabi on the Falcon service. Armed guards escorted the ship out of the Persian Gulf and it is scheduled to make an ad hoc call at Malaysia’s Port Klang tomorrow, before being redeployed to the Sentosa Shikra service.

MSC Calypso was supposed to call at Jebel Ali on Saturday, on the Falcon service, but turned back on 14 April after leaving Singapore to return to Vietnam’s Cai Mep port to discharge containers due in the Middle East. It will be redeployed.

Meanwhile, MSC Audrey is in China’s Ningbo port and was scheduled to call at Jebel Ali next Thursday. It has been redeployed to the Swiss-Italian carrier’s standalone Asia-Europe Swan service.

The ships are owned or leased by Eastern Pacific Shipping (EPS), which belongs to Israeli magnate Idan Ofer, or affiliates of Zodiac Maritime.

MSC said it continued to negotiate with the Iranian authorities to release MSC Aries’ 25-strong crew and for containers on the ship to be offloaded.

Linerlytica said today that two additional ships on the 2M’s Asia-Mediterranean Tiger service, the 19,462 teu MSC Leanne and MSC Rifaya, both owned by EPS, were still showing scheduled calls at Abu Dhabi and Jebel Ali in May.

But the consultancy added: “Both ships are still in the Mediterranean and are expected to be redeployed, in order to avoid the Persian Gulf.”