A vessel was reported on fire 63 nautical miles southeast of Al-Faw, Iraq, on October 26. UKMTO’s warning leaves the vessel’s identity, crew status and cause of the fire unresolved.
1. Vessel fire reported in the northern Gulf
- UKMTO warning 183-26 records multiple third-party reports of a vessel on fire southeast of Al-Faw.
- The notice gives an incident date of October 26, with the time still to be confirmed.
- The report as suspicious activity, not a confirmed attack. It did not identify the vessel, its type, flag or IMO number.
- Crew condition, damage and environmental impact were unknown when the warning was issued.
- Authorities were investigating. The notice did not announce a port closure, terminal shutdown or navigation exclusion zone. ukmto.org
2. Bremerhaven collision forces cruise cancellation and shipyard repairs
- TUI Cruises cancelled Mein Schiff 3’s Canary Islands voyage after inspections established that collision damage required shipyard repairs.
- The casualty occurred on October 25 at approximately 17:30 local time. Bremen Police said a gust pushed the tug-assisted cruise ship towards two berthed containerships.
- Damage affected the cruise ship’s lifeboats, associated cranes and shell plating. The larger containership suffered torn plating above the waterline and deformed container guides. Police reported no injuries or water ingress. www.presseportal.de
- Departure prohibitions were initially imposed on all three ships. Subsequent reporting confirmed that the restriction was lifted for the less-damaged containership, while the cruise ship and larger containership remained prohibited from sailing. tagesschau.de
- TUI reported 2,428 passengers and 922 crew aboard. Further scheduled voyages remained uncertain; the port reported no initial disruption to general shipping movements. tagesschau.de
3. TD3C tanker benchmark dispute reaches London trial
- Proceedings opened on October 26 in Mercuria’s challenge to the Baltic Exchange’s continued publication of the TD3C tanker benchmark during Hormuz disruption.
- The benchmark assesses VLCC freight from the Middle East Gulf to China and supports physical freight contracts and derivatives.
- Mercuria argued that disruption made continued assessment inappropriate and sought a declaration that publication should have been suspended.
- The Baltic Exchange rejected the allegations, maintaining that freight risk remained assessable and that it had met its contractual and regulatory obligations.
- The hearing concerns contested benchmark administration. The reporting established neither a court-ordered suspension nor a final judgment against the exchange.
4. US publishes proposed extension of China-linked shipping fee suspension
- An October 26 Federal Register notice proposes extending the suspension of the relevant Section 301 measures through January 9, 2027.
- The existing suspension runs through November 9, 2026. The additional two months remain a proposal subject to consultation.
- If adopted, the extension would prevent accrual or payment of maritime transport service fees under Annexes I–III during the extended period.
- Comments opened on October 23 and are due by 17:00 Eastern Time on October 30, under docket USTR-2026-0694.
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Sources
UKMTO, Bremen Police, ARD/Tagesschau, Bloomberg, USTR/Federal Register
This update is part of the DeepDraft SITREP series covering developing maritime operational situations.
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