Suspicious Activity - Persian Gulf

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Incident Details

Incident Date & Time:

03 February 2026, 09:00 UTC

Location:

Persian Gulf

Latitude/Longitude: 

26° 34' 60.00" N, 56° 13' 60.00" E

Vessel Type, Name, Flag, and Status:

N/A

Incident Type:

Suspicious Activity

Crew status

No injuries reported

Incident Details

Description

A Master reported being hailed on VHF by a large number of small armed boats requesting the vessel to stop. The Master ignored the request and the vessel continued on its planned route. Authorities are investigating the incident.

Key findings

This incident demonstrates a coordinated approach by multiple small craft attempting to intercept a commercial vessel through VHF communication rather than immediate physical boarding attempts. The use of multiple small armed boats suggests a well-organized group with sufficient resources and coordination capabilities. The Master's decision to ignore the hail and maintain course proved effective in this case, as the attackers did not pursue or escalate to more aggressive tactics. The fact that the exact position was not specified in the report may indicate operational security concerns or the sensitive nature of the vessel's location within the Persian Gulf.

Recommendations

- Maintain course and speed when approached by unidentified small craft making suspicious requests
- Immediately report VHF hails from unknown vessels requesting course changes to relevant maritime authorities
-  Ensure bridge team maintains heightened vigilance when multiple small craft are observed in proximity

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You have received this report as part of your organisation’s subscription. Castor Vali assessment and advice is given based on the information received and processed by us and the surrounding circumstances known to us to exist at the time. Subsequent changes to relevant information or the surrounding circumstances may affect the reliability of our assessment and advice, but we do not accept responsibility for that effect. We do not accept responsibility for the outcome of any action taken or not taken as a result of our assessment and advice unless the possibility of that action being taken or not taken is set out in specific terms in our instructions.

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