131020-N-QL471-296: SUEZ CANAL (Oct. 20, 2013) The aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) passes under the Friendship Bridge as the ship transits the Suez Canal. Nimitz is deployed in support of maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operation. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Billy Ho/Released)
USS Nimitz (CVN 68) and USS Monterey (CG 61) move from 5th Fleet to 6th Fleet area of operations.
Nimitz to Operate in Mediterranean
MEDITERRANEAN SEA (NNS) — The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) and her escort, guided-missile cruiser USS Monterey (CG 61), conducted a northbound transit of the Suez Canal, Oct. 20.
131014-N-TW634-367 U.S. 5TH FLEET AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY (Oct. 14, 2013) The aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) is underway in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility. The Nimitz Carrier Strike Group is deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility conducting maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Derek A. Harkins/Released)
USS Nimitz was most recently operating in the Red Sea to provide the U.S. options for responding to crisis situations.
USS Nimitz will operate in the Mediterranean Sea and train with international partners before returning to her home port of Everett, WA.
Nimitz entered the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations, June 9.
Following a terrorist RPG attack on a container ship in the Suez Canal, authorities in Egypt are tightening security and limiting ferry traffic on the canal. The Al Furqan terrorist group released a communiqué following the attack that claimed the canal “has become a safe passageway for the Crusader aircraft carriers to strike the Muslims, and it is the artery of the commerce of the nations of disbelief and tyranny.” The same tired language for another group of AQ wannabes.
Authorities take further measures in Suez clamp down
Cairo: In further crackdowns along the key waterway all fishing has been banned in the Suez Canal while the majority of ferries transiting the canal have also been put on hold. A total of 36 ferries have been told they cannot continue to use the canal for the time being as fears persist over terrorist group al Furqan’s determination to continue its attacks on ships transiting the throughfare.
Despite the increased concern about security along the canal, the number of ships continues to be robust with 66 ships passing through yesterday alone. [11/09/13]
http://www.gulfshipnews.com/news_content.php?fid=3w3c442&goback=.gde_4209903_member_272743651#!
This purports to be video footage of the RPG attack on the Cosco Asia showing 2 individuals firing RPGs at the container ship (albeit, thank the Lord, to little effect). Reuters reports that Egyptian authorities have arrested 3 suspects in what is described as a “terrorist attack.”
The Cosco Asia was struck by an RPG fired from the shore which struck a container near to the accommodation block. Machine gun fire was also reported.
Egypt Boosts Suez Security as Foiled Attack Shows Risks
Egyptian authorities moved to bolster security along the Suez Canal after a foiled attack on a ship traversing the waterway that handles about 8 percent of world trade spotlighted new threats confronting officials after Mohamed Mursi’s ouster.
The failed Aug. 31 attack on the Panama-registered Cosco (1919) Asia didn’t damage the ship or its cargo, Suez Canal Authority head Mohab Mamish said in a statement yesterday. The military dealt “decisively” with the attempt, he said, without giving details.
A convoy of container ships pass southbound along the Suez Canal towards Suez, Egypt.
Egyptian authorities moved to bolster security along the Suez Canal after a foiled attack on a ship traversing the waterway that handles about 8 percent of world trade spotlighted new threats confronting officials after Mohamed Mursi’s ouster.
The failed Aug. 31 attack on the Panama-registered Cosco (1919) Asia didn’t damage the ship or its cargo, Suez Canal Authority head Mohab Mamish said in a statement yesterday. The military dealt “decisively” with the attempt, he said, without giving details.
The maritime incident underscored the threats in the country as the military-backed government pursues an offensive against the Muslim Brotherhood and militants following Mursi’s July 3 ouster. More than 1,000 people have died, most of them supporters of the toppled Islamist leader who were killed in a single week in August amid clashes with security forces.
“Events like this increase the confusion and cause international embarrassment,” said Adel Soliman, head of the private Strategic Dialogue Forum research institute. “You have a state of turbulence in the street under which anything can happen.”
The waterway and the ships transiting it are completely secure, the state-run Middle East News Agency said today, citing Ossama Askar, commander of the Third Field Army.
State of Emergency
Authorities are already grappling at once with quashing the Brotherhood who see Mursi’s ouster as a “coup” while the military presses on with a campaign aimed at purging the strategic Sinai Peninsula of insurgents, some inspired by al-Qaeda.
After the Islamist was pushed from power, Egypt declared a state of emergency and enforced a curfew that’s since been eased — all in what has been a largely successful bid to quash the protests led by the Brotherhood and their Islamist allies.
Mursi will face trial in a Cairo criminal court along with 14 Muslim Brotherhood leaders for “inciting violence and killing” in events that occurred near the el-Itihadiya palace in Cairo on Dec. 5, news agency MENA reported, citing Prosecutor Mohamed Hisham.
Leaders Arrested
A Brotherhood call for protests on Aug. 30 fizzled because security authorities prevented demonstrators from rallying in a single location. The group said in an e-mailed statement yesterday that “the era of sleep and rest is over until we take back the revolution.”
Authorities yesterday ordered Sobhi Saleh, another Brotherhood leader, held for 15 days pending investigation after he was arrested in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria. Saleh faces allegations including inciting violence, according to the Alexandria prosecutor’s office said in a faxed statement yesterday. In all, more than 1,000 Brotherhood members, including its supreme guide, have been arrested, with some facing charges as serious as murder.
Keeping canal traffic flowing normally became a concern even before Mursi was deposed as the military stepped up security along the waterway months ago.
Canal Authority spokesman Tarek Hassanein said by phone that he didn’t have additional details and Zhang Jiqing, general manager at the executive division of the Beijing-based COSCO, didn’t return two calls outside normal business hours yesterday.
The Suez Canal and SUMED pipeline, as the link between Egypt’s ports of Ain Sukhna on the Red Sea and Sidi Kerir on the Mediterranean is known, together handled 3.8 million barrels a day of crude and products, according to 2011 data cited by the International Energy Agency. Most of that traffic was northbound.
The recent unrest has undercut Egypt’s hopes to rally an economy stunted since longtime leader Hosni Mubarak’s ouster in 2011. It’s also led some key allies, including the U.S. and European Union, to talk about withholding aid.
Early ElectionsEgyptian officials have downplayed the criticism as threats and said they have contingency plans. At the same time, officials are pressing ahead with a “road map” announced by the military that sees the country amending the now-suspended constitution and holding elections by early next year.
Interim President Adly Mansour issued a decree yesterday setting up a 50-member committee charged with amending the charter, which would then be voted on in a referendum, presidency spokesman Ehab Badawy told reporters. The Salafi Nour Party will have a representative on the panel, Badawy said, adding that invitations were extended to other Islamist parties, including the Brotherhood’s political arm, the Freedom and Justice Party. Only Nour responded, he said.
Thieves? Pirates? Terrorists? With the current instability in Egypt, and despite assurances to the contrary, this is a worrying prospect.
Owners warned of illegal boarders on Suez Canal transits
Crew members on vessels calling at Egyptian ports have reportedly been approached by mysterious persons seeking to board, referring to themselves only as “businessmen”.
The individuals seek passage on vessels through the Suez Canal, and, it is suspected, to engage in theft, piracy, or other unlawful activities while onboard. Crews transiting the canals and calling at Egyptian ports have been advised to remain vigilant, with continuous deck watch necessary to ensure the safety of vessel and crew.
“A vessel should not allow any unidentified persons to board,” Skuld said in a circular to members. “If persons seek to board the vessel, and they do not possess proper identification / authorisation then the Master should not permit them to come on board. In case of concern or threats, the Master should seek to alert local authorities and also the Club’s correspondents for further immediate assistance.”
Reuters is reporting that the Suez Canal is unaffected (as yet) by the current (seemingly endless) spate of civil unrest and violence in Egypt. Let’s hope that remains true.
Suez Canal Secured, Unaffected by Egypt’s Turmoil
Suez canal.
The Suez Canal waterway is completely secure and the rate of ships passing through is normal, the head of the Suez Canal Authority Mohab Memish said in a statement on Wednesday.
“The average number of passing ships in term of quantity and cargo is in the normal range and has not been affected by any events,” he said.
Egypt has been facing mass demonstrations since June 30 by opposition calling for the resignation ofIslamist President Mohamed Mursi and his supporters which resulted in dozens of deaths and hundreds of injuries.
In the last two days, 80 ships passed through the canal, the authority said, close to the daily average of 40 to 50 vessels.
Naval Matters 