At the time of writing, reports indicate that dangerous goods may have sparked a fire aboard the 1,930 TEU ASL Bauhinia. However, its position in the Red Sea has raised concerns that it could have been the result of an attack by the Iran-backed Houthi militia.
The vessel was reportedly operating on a regular route between Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Jordan's Port of Aqaba. Data from vesselsvalue.com shows the ship is classed by Japan’s Nippon Kaiji Kyokai and insured by the UK Mutual Steam Ship Assurance Association. However, according to the eeSea liner database, the ship was previously serving on the China-Philippines NPX Service for Asean Seas and Zim until last September.
Following the recent ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, the Houthis had pledged to limit attacks on commercial shipping to vessels linked to Israel. While the ASL Bauhinia's NPX designation ended last year, the militia has previously mistaken other vessels for having Israeli ties, raising speculation that this could be a similar case.
Reuters reported that the crew is safe after being rescued by another ship, though other sources have warned of navigational hazards near the abandoned ASL Bauhinia. Vespucci Maritime CEO Lars Jensen noted that salvage efforts would likely involve a General Average declaration, but questioned whether shippers could successfully claim insurance due to the vessel’s location.
“For the shippers, the interesting part will be whether the location is seen as a ‘risk area’ by their insurance company – and if it is, whether they are covered,” he said.
Meanwhile, it has been stated by CU Lines Executives unlike the news that ASL Bauhinia has no operational connection with CU Lines, and no CU Lines containers were on board.
