Cargo of Rocket Fuel Now Just Three Days From Iranian Port

MV Jairan, loaded with sodium perchlorate in China, is an estimated three days’ sailing from its home port destination in Bandar Abbas, Iran. As of Sunday, the vessel is cruising at 12-13 knots west of Mumbai and has about 850 nautical miles to go.

MV Jairan was the second of two sanctioned Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL) ships that berthed in Shanghai during January to load the chemical, which is the main precursor for ammonium perchlorate, used by most Iranian medium range solid-fuel ballistic missiles. The same material has been intercepted en route from Iran to Houthi forces in Yemen, where it is used to fuel the Palestine-2 missiles which have in recent days been fired at Israel. The Palestine-2 is a derivative of the Iranian Fateh-110 missile.

Recent satellite imagery of the Bandar Abbas Naval Harbor shows a large number of vessels present, as might be expected over Ramadan, including three Moudge/Alvand Class frigates, the intelligence collection vessel IRINS Zagros (Pennant 313) and the one Kilo Class submarine that is believed to be operational. Also present on its usual pier in the outer harbor was the long-range logistic vessel IRINS Makran (K441).

Providing picket coverage of the Iranian coast in the Northern Indian Ocean, according to open source intelligence expert Intelshizo, are three IRGC Navy intelligence collection vessels, the MVs Saviz, Artenos and Sheba. These should be able to provide maritime threat information coverage for the MV Jairan shortly.