Qatar suspends maritime activities amid heightened security concerns
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Doha: Qatar's Ministry of Transport on Sunday announced the temporary suspension of maritime navigation and all marine activities as a precautionary measure amid heightened regional security concerns.
In a statement, the ministry directed owners and operators of all maritime vessels, including leisure boats, fishing boats, jet skis and other watercraft, to suspend sailing and all marine activities until further notice. The restriction, however, does not apply to vessels operating under international maritime conventions.
The ministry said the decision was taken in coordination with the relevant security authorities to ensure public safety and urged the public to follow official instructions and rely only on authorised sources for updates.
The announcement came as Qatar's Foreign Ministry strongly condemned renewed Iranian attacks targeting its territory and several neighbouring countries, describing them as a serious violation of national sovereignty, territorial integrity and international law.
Meanwhile, the US-led Joint Maritime Information Centre (JMIC) said that despite Iran's announcement claiming the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, the southern shipping route along the Omani coast remains open and has been expanded to facilitate two-way maritime traffic.
An advisory issued through the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), citing information from the US Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT), reiterated that the Strait of Hormuz is an international waterway and cannot be controlled or restricted by any single country.
NAVCENT said US forces remain prepared to ensure freedom of navigation and protect lawful commercial shipping, adding that the southern transit route through the Strait continues to remain operational.
The advisory, however, warned that the maritime security threat level in the Strait of Hormuz remains "severe" and cautioned vessels about the presence of a mine danger area within the traditional Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS).
The conventional TSS has become unsafe following the outbreak of the US-Israel-Iran conflict due to the heightened mine threat. After the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran, two alternative transit corridors emerged: a northern route under Iranian control and a southern route along the Omani coast, where US forces are providing navigation support and operational coordination.
With IANS inputs