Indian billionaire Gautam Adani-led group’s Haifa port in Israel was unharmed by the Iranian ballistic missile attack, with cargo operations progressing unhampered, sources said.
Photograph: Ilan Rosenberg/Reuters
Late on Saturday night, Iran targeted Israel’s Haifa port and a nearby oil refinery in response to Tel Avi’s attack on Iranian nuclear and other targets earlier this week.
Sharpnels fell in the chemical terminal at the port and some other projectiles fell at the oil refinery, two sources aware of the matter said.
They claimed there were no injuries.
Adani’s port, however, was not impacted by the strike.
A piece of interceptor shrapnel was also found at the Kishan West (Haifa port) but there were no injuries, they said.
Cargo operations at the Adani-operated port were unhampered.
“There are eight ships in the port now, cargo operations are normal,” a source said.
The Iranian ballistic missile attack did not inflict any damage to the port or its operations, the sources claimed.
Adani group did not immediately offer any comments on the issue. Israel government authorities could not be immediately reached for comments.
Haifa port is totally functioning normally, sources said, adding 8 ships were handling cargo as on Sunday.
The port has approximately 700 employees. It handles different type of cargo, including containers, bulk, breakbulk, cement and general cargo.
Sources said the port is closely coordinating with the ministry of transport in Israel and continue to operate normally with full compliance of security and other requirements of the Israeli government.
The Chinese port (which is next to Haifia) is also functioning normally, sources said.
Haifa port serves as a crucial maritime hub, handling over 30 per cent of Israel’s imports. It is owned by Adani Ports, which controls a 70 per cent share.
The missiles may have caused damage to a major oil refinery close to the port but there was no official comment on the impact on it.
Haifa is less than 3 per cent of the volume handled by Adani Ports and SEZ and contributed less than 2 per cent to the profits.
Haifa handles a total cargo of 10-11 million tonnes annually, while APSEZ annual volumes are upwards of 450 million tonnes.
Israel attacked Iran early Friday targeting its nuclear, missile and military infrastructure.
Iran later launched retaliatory strikes on Israel.
The two countries traded strikes for a third day on Sunday as the Middle East region braced for a protracted conflict.
Iran said Israel struck two oil refineries, raising the prospect of a broader assault on Iran’s heavily sanctioned energy industry that could affect global markets.
Some Iranian missiles evaded Israeli air defences to strike buildings in the heart of the country.
