Loss Prevention Advice
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Saudi Arabia has intensified its campaign against Iran-backed Houthi forces in Yemen, striking oil storage facilities near Sana’a and the port of Hodeidah, while intercepting missiles targeting the area around Saudi Aramco’s headquarters.
The escalation raises fresh concerns over the security of regional energy infrastructure and the wider implications for maritime trade. Saudi Arabia launched a series of strikes on 13 October against Houthi-linked energy infrastructure in Yemen, including the Central Sabaha Station oil depot on the western outskirts of the capital, Sana’a.
The attacks were followed by a missile interception near Dharan, home to the headquarters of Saudi state-owned energy giant Saudi Aramco, according to reports.
The strikes mark a further escalation in the conflict between Riyadh and the Iran-backed Houthi movement. Before the offensive, a Saudi spokesperson warned civilians to leave the targeted area, ahead of what was described as a major assault on Houthi energy infrastructure.
The Central Sabaha Station depot contains large storage tanks used for petroleum derivatives. However, the Yemeni Oil Company said its storage facilities were empty at the time of the attack.
Houthi energy infrastructure targeted
The Saudi-led offensive also targeted oil depots at Ras Isa port in Hodeidah, a facility previously struck by Israel in 2024. According to The Guardian, the attacks were carried out in 10 waves and appeared aimed at weakening the Houthis’ operational capabilities as their forces continued advancing south, including towards the city of Taiz.
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The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has adopted a new framework governing the use of Remote Inspection Techniques (RIT) during surveys of bulk carriers and oil tankers, introducing standardized requirements.
The amendments to the International Code on the Enhanced Programme of Inspections during Survey of Bulk Carriers and Oil Tankers (2011 ESP Code) will enter into force on January 1, 2028, under IMO Resolution MSC.584(111). They are supported by new guidelines on the use of RIT for ESP Code surveys, set out in MSC.1/Circ.1700.
The new framework establishes requirements for using RIT as an alternative means of access to support close-up surveys and associated thickness measurements, enabling surveyors to examine ship structures remotely without physically accessing the areas concerned.
The requirements will apply to periodic ESP Code surveys of bulk carriers and oil tankers that commence on or after January 1, 2028, where RIT is intended to be used, regardless of the vessel’s construction date. In preparation, LR has explained the following:
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A gangway refers to a platform, a walkway or a ramp connecting the ship to land or other vessels and is used as a means of safe access for the crew. The gangway must be properly rigged and maintained to prevent accidents or injuries and to counter the movement from tidal streams, swell, cargo operations and surge movements caused by ships in the vicinity.
LEGISLATION
Accommodation ladders and gangways fitted on ships constructed before or replaced after 1 January 2010, should, to the extent possible, adhere with the IMO circular MSC.1/Circ.1331 – IMO “Guidelines for Construction, Installation, Maintenance and Inspection of means of Embarkation and Disembarkation”. This circular should be referred to in conjunction with the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) regulation II-1/3-9 (Means of Embarkation on and Disembarkation from Ships).
ARRANGEMENT
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Assured whose vessels trade to India will already be aware of the News Alert on 7 October 2026 (opens in a new window) advising of the requirements in the Merchant Shipping (Regulation of Entry of Ships into Coastal Waters) Rules, 2026, for non-Indian vessels operating in or transiting Indian coastal waters to maintain a valid salvage contract and a valid marine pollution response contract with an approved provider.
The Directorate General of Maritime Administration (DGMA), Mumbai, has today issued DGMA Circular No. 69 of 2026 (opens in a new window), confirming that they are in the process of approving salvors and marine pollution response providers to be listed. As owners and operators are unable to fully comply with the new contractual requirements until the approved service providers have been formally notified, the DGMA has exercised its powers to grant vessels already operating in, or otherwise permitted entry into, Indian coastal waters an exemption period of six months, until 1 April 2027, to comply with the additional requirements introduced by the 2026 Rules.
Full advisory at the following link.