Todays updates......including the anchorages, a "stolen" floating armory and a dhow that vanished twice
First of all...the floating armory, stolen off the anchorage at Fujairah. This is a very strange ship. She was stolen by the Iranians yesterday and was last seen sailing towards Iranian waters. But is everything as it seems?
Hui Chan is listed as a "fishing support vessel", however that is not quite correct. She is, infact, loaded with a significant amount of firearms other combative types would like to get their hands on. Ships used in this way have been known to be arrested and the cargo confiscated......so was she "stolen to order" perhaps?
More details :
Report: Vessel Captured off Fujairah is a Floating Armory (Maritime Executive - May 14, 2026)
Another strange story, this time involving an Indian flagged dhow, the Haji Ali. This dhow was last seen on AIS off the coast near Muscat on May 11, 2026. An SOS was sent out from it and the Omani SAR rescued the 14 crew aboard the ship, she was on fire and in danger of sinking. No crew were harmed. The Indian Government have accused Iran of attacking the dhow. Iran have said that they have not attacked it. UKMTO have no record of an attack on May 11, 2026 involving a dhow. The vessel actually sank on May 13, 2026. So what is going on with the dhow.....?
Ever curious I did some digging on the AIS system and it isn't the first time that this dhow has done a vanishing act. The first time that it vanished was on December 12, 2025 off the coast of Pune (first image) and then it is said to have caught fire and subsequently sank tween May 11, 2026 and May 13, 2026 off the coast of Muscat (second image). Could this be a case of taking advantage of the combative atmosphere and maybe claim on insurance? I am sure that the authorities will find out eventually...but it does seem quite "fishy"....
More on this :
Tensions Flare Near Strait of Hormuz as a Ship Is Seized and Another Is Sunk (US News - May 14, 2026)
So onto the Straits of Hormuz and Bab-el-Mandab
Both Straits have been quiet overnight (at time I am writing this), no reports of any issues. The Strait of Hormuz activity has dropped significantly compared to the last few days, which is probably not a good sign. Very few ships have completed transit over the last 24 hours. The Strait of Bab-el-Mandab is also flowing well and without incident.
The anchorages inside the Persian Gulf are all very busy...apart from those off Qatar where things have thinned out considerably. The large number of craft around the northern part of Bahrain is still growing and an unusually high number of fishing and specialised ships (tugs, oil support etc) ships are crowding along the Saudi Arabian and Kuwaiti coast. You do have to wonder if fishing is even possible given the current state of the Persian Gulf with so many static ships, oil spills and infrastructure damage.
The anchorages along the coasts of the UAE and Oman.....on the Persian Gulf side, shipping is once again going into tight formations overnight with a relatively small spread during daylight hours. There are several supply ships weaving their way through delivering essentials to those ships. On the Gulf of Oman side, things are looking stable. Port transfers of cargoes is ongoing, ships leaving the area and ships arriving and holding for orders or waiting to transit the Straight of Hormuz. On the whole, things are calm. There are a few Iranian ekranoplan and patrol boats milling around in Omani waters but so far nothing untoward has been reported by UKMTO at time of writing.
Still no news in regard to the CMA CGM San Antonio and her crew unfortunately.
Will update again tomorrow.