Iraq mobilises search, rescue teams to monitor missing Gulf vessels

Published May 22, 2026 Updated May 22, 2026 07:20am

Iraqi company for ports has mobilised its maritime control and search and rescue teams to track two missing Bolivian-flagged vessels, AlJazeera reports, citing Iraqi News Agency (INA).

The report quotes a statement by General Company for Ports of Iraq, saying security authorities from several ports across the Gulf basin, along with the ships’ owners, contacted Iraqi officials requesting any available information after losing communication with the vessels — Bridge 1 and Bridge 2.

The state-owned company confirmed that neither ship has entered Iraqi territorial waters, and its maritime departments have not received any distress signals from either crew, the report says.

While the port authority currently has no data on the location of the ships, it emphasised that satellite tracking operations are ongoing in close coordination with regional search and rescue administrations.

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