Haifa Port News

A group of animal welfare organizations have written an open letter to Stella Kyriakides, European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, asking her to stop the live export of cattle to war zones.There have been over 100 shipments of cattle and sheep from Europe to Israel so far this year and an unknown number of livestock exported to Lebanon since the fighting expanded in that region.Ethical Farming Ireland says sources at Haifa port have informed them that every day barrages of rockets fall on the port and surrounding areas where the quarantine centres and fattening farms are.

Maritime security and industry groups raised the risk level for ships calling at Israeli ports on Friday, with terminals facing possible missile strikes from Lebanese group Hezbollah in the Mediterranean and Yemen's Houthis in the Red Sea.Earlier this week, the Israeli government's port authority issued a letter stating that terminals ranging from the southern port of Eilat on the Red Sea to the major Mediterranean ports in Haifa in northern Israel were operating at normal capacity.But…

Israel's ports in the northern city of Haifa were operating at normal capacity despite an escalation in fighting with Hezbollah in nearby Lebanon and the city being targeted by rocket fire, Israeli authorities said on Tuesday.Haifa is Israel's third largest city and handles much of the country's vital seaborne trade. On Monday, sirens sounded across the city for the first time after months of border-area conflict and the military's defence systems fired interceptors at Hezbollah rockets above the Haifa bay.

Ethical Farming Ireland (EFI) has raised concerns that the livestock carrier Shorthorn Express is currently sailing to Israel from Greenore despite having previously been subject to a Houthi attack in the Red Sea region in June. The Shorthorn Express was travelling to Haifa port from Portugal with 12,000 sheep on board at the time.EFI continues to raise other concerns about the trade. The organisation is calling for an immediate end to live export to countries outside the EU that do not share Ireland’s animal welfare standards.

Yemen's Houthis said on Wednesday they targeted a ship in Israel's Haifa port with a number of drones in a joint military operation with the Islamic Resistance in Iraq.The operation targeted the Portuguese-flagged container ship MSC Manzanillo, the Iran-aligned Houthi group's military spokesman Yahya Saree said in a televised speech on Wednesday.The Israeli military is not aware of any such incident, a spokesperson said, and there was no indication of anything unusual at Haifa port.The Houthi group has been launching drone and missile strikes in shipping lanes since November…

Yemen's Houthis said early on Sunday that they had conducted a joint military operation with the Islamic Resistance in Iraq militant group, targeting four ships at Israel's northern Haifa port.The Houthi military spokesperson, Yahya Saree, said in a televised statement that the two groups launched a drone attack on two cement tankers and two cargo ships at the Haifa port on Saturday.He said the ships belonged to companies that "violated the ban on entering the ports of occupied Palestine".The Israeli military did not immediately comment…

Yemen's Houthi group said on Thursday it launched two joint military operations with the Iraqi Islamic Resistance against ships at Israel's Haifa port."The first targeted two ships carrying military equipments in the port of Haifa, while the second targeted a ship that violated the decision to ban entry to the port," Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said in a televised statement.The Houthis, who control Yemen's capital and most populous areas, have attacked international…

Ships sailing for Israel face a 10-fold jump in war risk premiums as the conflict in Gaza intensifies, prompting industry calls for the government to help ensure vital imports keep coming.Israel has vowed to annihilate Islamist group Hamas after its fighters stormed through Israeli towns from Gaza on Oct. 7, killing 1,400 people and seizing more than 220 hostages.Israeli forces have hit back with deadly air strikes and now a ground offensive on the narrow coastal strip, with growing fears the conflict could escalate and pull in the whole region.Israel…

Taiwanese container shipping line Evergreen has declared force majeure on a shipment to the Israeli port of Ashdod, with its Ever Cozy vessel diverted to Haifa further north due to safety concerns, according to a customer note.This is one of the first force majeures declared since Hamas Islamists launched attacks on Israel on Oct. 7, amid preparations by Israel's military to launch ground operations into Gaza in retaliation.The Ever Cozy was sailing towards Haifa port on Tuesday, according to data from ship tracking and maritime analytics provider MarineTraffic.Israel has vowed to annihilate Hamas Islamists after its fighters stormed through Israeli towns from Gaza…

A Royal Caribbean cruise ship in the Mediterranean Sea is transporting American citizens fleeing war between Israel and Hamas.Sailing at the request of the U.S. embassy in Israel, the Rhapsody of the Seas arrived at Israel's Haifa Port on Monday morning, loaded an unknown number of passengers and departed en route to the Port of Limassol in Cyprus.Many flights departing Israel have been canceled, leaving countless trapped inside the country as violence rages on."The U.S. government is assisting U.S. nationals and their immediate family members with a valid travel document to depart Haifa via sea for Cyprus on October 16, 2023," the U.S. embassy in Israel said in a recent security alert.“Royal Caribbean Group is actively supporting the U.S.

The city of Haifa is set to become an increasingly significant east Mediterranean shipping hub, with Chinese and Indian firms buying into its ports as Israel normalizes ties with its Gulf Arab neighbors under a U.S. diplomatic push.Earlier this month, as U.S. President Joe Biden visited the Middle East, India's largest port developer Adani Ports and Israeli minority partner Gadot agreed to buy Haifa Port for 4.1 billion shekels ($1.18 billion).Its founder, Asia's richest man Gautam Adani…

Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone said its acquisition of Haifa Port with a local Israeli partner will boost trade lanes with the company's Indian ports and could better connect Europe and the Middle East in the longer term.After a two-year tender process, Adani Ports and local chemicals and logistics group Gadot clinched the 4.1 billion shekel ($1.18 billion) winning bid for Haifa Port, Israel announced on Thursday.Adani Ports will have a 70% stake and Gadot will hold the remaining 30%…

Israel said on Thursday it will sell Haifa Port, a major trade hub on its Mediterranean coast, to winning bidders Adani Ports APSE.NS of India and local chemicals and logistics group Gadot for 4.1 billion shekels ($1.18 billion).Gadot and Adani made it to the end of a two-year tender process that Israel hopes will lower import prices and help shorten notoriously long wait times at Israeli harbors."The privatization of the port of Haifa will increase competition at the ports and lower the cost of living…

Dubai's DP World has pulled out of a joint bid with an Israeli company to privatize Israel's Haifa port, Israel's privatization body said.Israel is selling its state-owned ports and building new private docks in an effort to encourage competition and lower costs.DP World had signed an agreement with Israel Shipyards Industries for exclusive cooperation in the privatization of the Haifa port, one of Israel's two main sea terminals on its Mediterranean coast.But in a statement released late Thursday…

Four investment groups are looking to acquire the Israeli port of Haifa estimated to be valued as high as $600 million with formal bids expected towards October, sources with knowledge of the matter said.Israel is selling its state-owned ports and building new private docks in an effort to encourage competition and bring down costs. At the same time, warming ties with neighboring Arab countries are creating new trade opportunities and Haifa is well placed to become a regional…

Cruise operator Royal Caribbean is cancelling a new line that had been scheduled to run from Israel to Greece and Cyprus from next month, citing regional security concerns.The sailings out of Haifa port would have been the first for Royal Caribbean's new ship Odyssey of the Seas and were intended to exploit a travel corridor being set up among the three countries for travelers vaccinated against COVID-19."Due to the unrest in Israel and region, Odyssey has not been able to complete the preparations required," the company said late on Saturday in what appeared to be a reference to fighting over

Ports operator DP World gave an optimistic outlook for 2021 on Thursday, citing pent-up demand for cargo and an easing of geopolitical tensions after the change of U.S. administration.Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, who is chairman and chief executive of the Dubai state-owned global ports operator, said that demand and supply chain capabilities had also improved as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.“You are always cautious ... (but) the outlook this year looks good for many reasons…

Israel received its most advanced warship on Wednesday, describing the German-made vessel dubbed "Shield" as a bulwark for vulnerable Mediterranean gas rigs as tensions with Tehran soar over the assassination of a top Iranian nuclear scientist.The Saar-6 corvette that docked in Haifa port, and three of the same model to follow next year, will bring to 15 the number of missile boats deployed by an Israeli navy which, while small, carries out missions as far away as the Red Sea and the Gulf.Israel also wants to protect off-shore natural gas fields close to Lebanon…

The ship-to-shore crane paused above the cargo ship just arrived from Dubai, then set its load down on the pier in Israel.One after another, eight containers filled with electronics, cleaning supplies, iron, and firefighting equipment were unloaded off the MSC Paris, one of the first cargo ships to make the voyage between the United Arab Emirates and Israel.Just a few months ago, such a journey from Dubai's Jebel Ali port to the northern Israeli port city of Haifa would have been unthinkable.The countries announced a normalization deal in August which laid the ground for a potentially profitable new trade route.The diplomatic breakthrough stemmed from a strategic realignment of Middle East nations…

Striking workers shut down Israel's two main ports, leaving dozens of cargo ships stranded on Thursday in protest against the creation of competing foreign-run docks.At least 17 ships were waiting to unload at Ashdod port, with another 14 lined up to come in.

Israeli shipping firm Zim said on Wednesday it would start to offer direct service to Jebel Ali port in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).With its new line, Zim joins a number of international rivals—including MSC, Maersk—to announce they would offer a connection between Israel and the UAE since the countries agreed to normalize relations.Zim said its line will take cargo from Jebel Ali to Israel's Mediterranean Haifa port and, in the other direction, offer service from Israel and the eastern Mediterranean to the UAE.Zim is 32% owned by Kenon Holdings .Rani Ben Yehuda, a Zim executive vice presid

Dubai's DP World is partnering with an Israeli group to bid for one of Israel's two main ports and to examine opening a direct shipping line between the two Middle East states, it said on Wednesday.The announcement came a day after Israel and the United Arab Emirates signed an historic agreement to normalize ties, and marks a big development in trade and economic collaboration.Dubai state-owned DP World, which operates ports from Hong Kong to Buenos Aires, signed a series of agreements with Israel's DoverTower including a joint bid in the privatization of Haifa Port on the Mediterranean…

The 13,092 TEU containership Maersk Elba arrived at Haifa Port's Carmel Terminal, becoming the largest ship ever to dock in Israel. Maersk Elba entered the Carmel Terminal Thursday, and was operated on by four STS cranes with an average productivity of 136 containers per ship hour. This ship is part of the weekly service line operated by the 2M Alliance of Maersk and MSC linking the ports of South Korea, China and Singapore to Haifa Port, and from there continues to the Adriatic ports. A video of Maersk Elba entering Haifa Port is available here.