Press release - 24 December 2023 - Incident in the Red Sea

Norwegian registered/owned chemical tanker “Blaamanen” is presently transporting non-flammable vegetable oil from Europe to India.

The vessel proceeded through the Red Sea yesterday following a proper risk assessment which had been made for the safety of the crew, the ship and the cargo. There is no link to Israel for the “Blaamanen” or her ownership.

An Indian owned Gabon-registered Suezmax tanker on way from the Russian Baltic Sea to India was sailing in front of our vessel and was hit by a drone. Owing to the close vicinity our master alerted the US Navy which came to the scene, offering protection.

The crew and the vessel are safe, and the vessel is proceeding the voyage as planned.

We will continue to monitor the situation closely together with technical/crew managers in addition to our underwriters the Norwegian Shipowners’  Mutual War Risk Insurance Association (DNK), the Norwegian Shipowners’ Association and other sources.