Zodiac Maritime

In August 2018, ZM-owned LPG ship
Zodiac operated LPG tanker Northumberland

Zodiac Maritime Ltd is an international ship management company that owns and charters out large vessels.[1] It is part of Ofer Global based in Monaco and chaired by Eyal Ofer.[2] It has a long-standing business relationship with Mediterranean Shipping Company.

History

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On 2 January 2010, the MV Asian Glory was hijacked by pirates 1,000 km off the Horn of Africa. In late 2009 and early 2010, two of its ships (St James Park and MV Asian Glory) were captured by Somali pirates.[3][4]

In 2012, ZM owned the MSC Napoli, the container ship that ran into difficulty in the English Channel.[5][6]

According to a 2014 analysis conducted by Globes, the companies of the Zodiac group generated together an operating profit of just over $1.5 billion in 2003–12, with an operating profit margin of 39%, and a 0.49% tax rate on profits.[7]

In July 2014, Eyal Ofer, the principal of Zodiac Group, received an honorary life membership of the Baltic Exchange for his contribution to shipping in the UK and global maritime trade.[8] Later that year, he was named in the top 10 most influential people in the shipping industry according to Lloyds List 2014.[9]

Iran has persistently attacked various vessels and seized ships amidst political issues since 2019.[10][11]

On 29 July 2021, the oil tanker MT Mercer Street, managed by Zodiac, while travelling from Tanzania to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with no cargo on board, was attacked off the coast of Oman.[12] The US military announced that the drone had been produced in Iran.[13][14]

In November 2023, amid the Israel–Hamas war, the Central Park, a tanker ship owned by Zodiac Maritime, was attacked in the Gulf of Aden by suspected Somali pirates.[15][16]

On 13 April 2024, the IRGC Navy seized Portuguese-flagged container ship MSC Aries[17] in the Gulf of Oman off the Emirati port city of Fujairah, then steered the container ship through the Strait of Hormuz.[10] claiming that it had violated maritime laws.[18] MSC Aries is leased by MSC from Gortal Shipping Inc., which is an affiliate of Zodiac.[18]

References

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  1. ^ "PORT2PORT - Israel's Trade Portal". Archived from the original on July 15, 2011. Retrieved October 25, 2009.
  2. ^ "Eyal Ofer". Forbes.com. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
  3. ^ CNN Somali pirates hijack fourth vessel in a week Downloaded 3 January 2010.
  4. ^ "Oil leak from beached British ship threatens sea birds". channelnewsasia.com. Channel NewsAsia. January 23, 2007. Archived from the original on January 26, 2007. Retrieved February 23, 2020.
  5. ^ "Stricken Ship in the English Channel Is Being Towed (Update1) - Bloomberg". Bloomberg News. 2012-10-26. Archived from the original on 2012-10-26. Retrieved 2023-05-25.
  6. ^ "Oil leak from beached British ship threatens sea birds". Archived from the original on January 26, 2007. Retrieved January 23, 2007.
  7. ^ Globes online, The Ofer family's British shipping companies made annual profits of $100-150 million over the past decade Archived March 2, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
  8. ^ Bray, Julian (July 11, 2014). "Eyal Ofer joins father Sammy as life member of the Baltic Exchange". TradeWinds. London.
  9. ^ "7. Eyal Ofer, Zodiac Group". lloydslist.com. Retrieved February 23, 2020.
  10. ^ a b "17 Indians among 25 crew on ship seized by Iran; India in touch with Iran to secure release of Indians". 2024-04-14. Retrieved 2024-04-18.
  11. ^ "US Navy says it prevented Iran from seizing tankers in Gulf of Oman". Reuters. 2023-07-06. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
  12. ^ "Deadly drone attack on tanker escalates Iran-Israel maritime tensions". CNN. August 2, 2021. Retrieved 2024-04-18.
  13. ^ "Mercer Street: Tanker blast evidence points to Iran, says US". BBC News. 6 August 2021. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  14. ^ "Iran and Israel are on the brink of catastrophe". Arab News. 15 August 2021. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  15. ^ Seligman, Lara (27 November 2023). "Pentagon: Suspected Somali pirates behind cargo ship attack in the Middle East". Politico. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
  16. ^ Gambrell, Jon (26 November 2023). "US Navy seizes attackers who held Israel-linked tanker. Missiles from rebel-controlled Yemen follow". Washington Post. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
  17. ^ "Iranian forces take over Israel-linked Portuguese ship MCS ARIES". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. 2024-04-13. Retrieved 2024-04-13.
  18. ^ a b "Iran says MSC Aries vessel seized for 'violating maritime laws'". 2024-04-15. Retrieved 2024-04-18.
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