Loss Prevention Advice
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A maritime security update, highlighting a volatile regional security landscape marked by military escalation, electronic interference and increased risks to commercial vessels in the Arabian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz, Gulf of Oman and Northern Arabian Sea.
According to Dryad Global, as of mid-June 2025, escalating hostilities between Iran and Israel have led to a sharp increase in maritime security threats across key trade arteries in the Middle East.
Regional security threats escalate
On 14 June, Iran issued a stark warning that it would retaliate against U.S., UK, and French forces should they intervene in its conflict with Israel. This was followed by preparations for diplomatic evacuations in Iraq and the withdrawal of nonessential Western personnel from Bahrain and Kuwait, signalling just how rapidly the situation could deteriorate.
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Over the past week, 10-16 June, four incidents of armed robbery against ships in Asia (all CAT 3 incidents).
All incidents occurred onboard ships while underway in the eastbound lane of the Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS) of Singapore Strait (SS). The crew members were not injured in all four incidents. No items were stolen in three incidents while some engine spares were stolen in one other incident.
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What is the cargo?
As the name of the product indicates the cargo is made up principally of magnetite but also of Vanadium and Titanium, these last two elements at lower quantities (10-14%) as a solid solution. Knowing the elements is important because they are rare products and are considered important to steel making and other industrial processes. Cargo experts Roxburgh state that the material composition can vary greatly depending on the original formation process, which determines how the material is processed by the mine and in turn the final particle size distribution (PSD) and grade of the cargo. The cargo can be presented for loading as a lump or fines product with minimal processing, or as a much finer concentrate where gravity or magnetic processes have been applied to upgrade the valuable minerals.
Are there any risks?
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Group A cargoes are those which pose a risk from either liquefaction or dynamic separation. The IMSBC Code defines cargoes which may liquefy as:
“Cargoes which contain a certain proportion of fine particles and a certain amount of moisture. They may liquefy if shipped with a moisture content in excess of their transportable moisture limit.”
In such a cargo composed of fine particles and containing moisture, the spaces between the particles are filled with both air and water. Whilst at sea the cargo is subject to forces due to the vibration and motions of the vessel. These forces cause the particles to move closer together and reduce the size of the spaces (voids) between the particles, which is known as densification.