Elbella container ship is one of the vessels that is believed to have been struck. Photo: Eduard Marmet
Elbella container ship is one of the vessels that is believed to have been struck. Photo: Eduard Marmet
Elbella container ship is one of the vessels that is believed to have been struck. Photo: Eduard Marmet
Elbella container ship is one of the vessels that is believed to have been struck. Photo: Eduard Marmet

Two vessels catch fire in the Gulf of Aden after 'unknown projectiles' strike


Nada AlTaher
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Fires were reported on two vessels off the coast of Yemen, after being hit by “projectiles”, the UK's Maritime Trade Operations said on Sunday.

The first incident in the Red Sea took place at 8pm Co-ordinated Universal Time, 80 nautical miles south-east of Yemen's interim capital Aden, UKMTO said, after the ship's crew reported a projectile struck the vessel.

“A small fire was contained in the mooring station and now reported extinguished. All crew are reported safe and the vessel is now proceeding to its next port call.”

The Elbella is one of the vessels reportedly struck.

British security firm Ambrey confirmed to Reuters that an Antigua-and Barbuda-flagged cargo ship was struck 83 nautical miles south-east of Aden and caught fire.

“The ship was heading south-west along the Gulf of Aden at a speed of 8.2 knots when the forward station was struck by a missile. A fire started but was neutralised,” Ambrey said.

“A second missile was sighted but did not hit the ship. Persons on board small boats in the vicinity opened fire on the ship during the incident.”

A second incident was reported, 70 nautical miles south-west of Aden three hours after the initial strike. “The vessel was hit by an unknown projectile on the aft section, which resulted in a fire,” UKMTO said.

“Damage control is under way.”

There were no casualties in the attack.

Houthi rebels have begun striking ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden since November, in support of Palestinians in Gaza, but have not claimed either attack.

They have repeatedly said they will not stop carrying out strikes on maritime shipping until Israel stops its aggression in Gaza.

The Iran-backed rebel group has been ramping up its activities in the Red Sea and a US-UK coalition has been hitting back, striking areas in Yemen which it claims are being used to fuel the sea attacks.

Most recently, the Houthis blamed the western forces for carrying out air strikes on Hodeidah Airport and the Salif port to the north of the country.

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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

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Defining head lice

Pediculus humanus capitis are tiny wingless insects that feed on blood from the human scalp. The adult head louse is up to 3mm long, has six legs, and is tan to greyish-white in colour. The female lives up to four weeks and, once mature, can lay up to 10 eggs per day. These tiny nits firmly attach to the base of the hair shaft, get incubated by body heat and hatch in eight days or so.

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Lice can be identified by itching or a tickling sensation of something moving within the hair. One can confirm that a person has lice by looking closely through the hair and scalp for nits, nymphs or lice. Head lice are most frequently located behind the ears and near the neckline.

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Head lice must be treated as soon as they are spotted. Start by checking everyone in the family for them, then follow these steps. Remove and wash all clothing and bedding with hot water. Apply medicine according to the label instructions. If some live lice are still found eight to 12 hours after treatment, but are moving more slowly than before, do not re-treat. Comb dead and remaining live lice out of the hair using a fine-toothed comb.
After the initial treatment, check for, comb and remove nits and lice from hair every two to three days. Soak combs and brushes in hot water for 10 minutes.Vacuum the floor and furniture, particularly where the infested person sat or lay.

Courtesy Dr Vishal Rajmal Mehta, specialist paediatrics, RAK Hospital

Our legal columnist

Name: Yousef Al Bahar

Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994

Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers

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Updated: June 09, 2024, 5:49 AM