UK Maritime Trade Operations reports incident involving vessel in Persian Gulf

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) has reported an incident involving a vessel in the Persian Gulf, approximately 86 nautical miles northeast of the Saudi port of Ras Tanura.

According to the UKMTO's announcement on social media platform X, the captain of the vessel was notified that a small warship had approached and was signaling with green lights towards the ship's bridge, Caliber.Az reports.

UKMTO WARNING INCIDENT 001-25
SUSPICIOUS APPROACHhttps://t.co/yo0ifPJJjr#MaritimeSecurity #MarSec pic.twitter.com/djmlLmgaHr

— United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) (@UK_MTO) January 24, 2025

The vessel continued to receive demands via these signals to alter its course towards Iranian territorial waters.

In light of the incident, UKMTO has urged all vessels in the region to exercise heightened caution and remain vigilant. The agency also advised mariners to report any suspicious activity or interactions to their operations center.

UKMTO operates a Voluntary Reporting Scheme (VRS) for the Indian Ocean, specifically Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, and Arabian Sea, (In accordance with the Maritime Security Chart Q6099), administered by the Maritime Trade Information Centre (MTIC)/UKMTO (Dubai).

UKMTO acts as the primary point of contact for merchant vessels and liaison with military forces in the region. Vessel are encouraged to report their positions (By email daily at 08.00 UTC) whilst operating in the area.

The area comprises of the UKMTO Voluntary Reporting Area (VRA).

By Vafa Guliyeva