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The 'Fairchem Mako', while underway in the eastbound lane of the Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS) of the Singapore Strait (SS) on Nov 16, 2025, at 2 a.m., en route from Shuaiba to Dong Nai, was boarded by two perpetrators, armed with a sword, about 2.4 nautical miles north off Pulau Cula. The intruders stole engine spares. The crew was not injured. The CAT 3 incident was reported to the ReCAAP ISC.

The 'Talara' has been apprehended on Nov 14, 2025, by three small boats belonging to the Iranian military whilst transiting the Strait of Hormuz en route from Al Hamriyah to Singapore with a cargo of high sulphur gasoil. The tanker has since been redirected to the Iranian coastline. The ship is managed by Columbia and owned by Cyprus-based Pasha Finance. The last confirmed hijacking of a commercial vessel by Iranian military forces was in April 2024, when Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) seized the Portuguese flagged container ship 'MSC Aries', via a helicopter-borne operation in international waters. Merchant vessels were advised to remain vigilant while transiting the Strait of Hormuz and to report any suspicious activity immediately. A U.S. Navy MQ-4C Triton drone had been circling above the area where the 'Talara' was, observing the seizure. The British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center acknowledged the incident. The Cyprus-based Columbia Shipmanagement said in a statement that it had lost contact with the tanker. The company has notified the relevant authorities and is working closely with all relevant parties, including maritime security agencies and the vessel owner, in order to restore contact with the vessel with the safety of the crew remaining the foremost priority.

The 'Pedhoulas Fighter', while underway in the eastbound lane of the Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS) of the Singapore Strait (SS), en route from Paranagua to Tang Shan, was boarded by an unknown number of perpetrators on Nov 16, 2025, at 12.30 a.m., about six nautical miles northwest off Pulau Cula, in pos. 1° 4.06' N 103° 86.85' E. The intruders stole engine spares, fire hydrant nozzles. The crew was not injured. The CAT 4 incident was reported to the ReCAAP ISC.

On Nov 7, 2025, the 'UAL Africa' , enroute from Houston to Soya, was attacked by pirates in the Gulf of Guinea. The 11 crew members narrowly escaped kidnapping by barricading themselves in the citadel. According to the Maritime Information Cooperation & Awareness Center (MICA Center) in Brest, the attack took place approximately 75 nautical miles northwest of Bata, Equatorial Guinea. The pirates entered and searched the ship but failed to enter the citadel. A security team from Cameroon later came to the crew's aid and found the ship abandoned by the pirates. It entered Port Gentil on Nov 11.

The 'Talara' has been moored in the Khuran Strait, north of Qeshm Island, a familiar location for vessels hijacked by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), after it was appreheneded by the IRCG on Nov 14 at 8.22 a.m. An IRGC statement stated that the tanker was in violation for carrying unauthorized cargo. The ship’s manager, Columbia Shipmanagement, said the vessel was carrying a cargo of high-sulphur gasoil, en route to Singapore when contact was lost approximately 20 nautical miles off the coast of Khorfakkan, United Arab Emirates, marking the first Iranian hijacking of a commercial vessel in 2025. The last confirmed hijacking of a commercial vessel by the Iranian military forces was in April 2024, when the container m/v 'MSC Aries' was seized in a helicopter-borne operation in international waters. All 21 crew members wee reported to be safe and accounted for. The vessel was safely anchored off the coast of Bandar Abbas.