Zodiac Maritime Ltd is an international ship management company that owns and charters out large vessels.[1] It is part of Ofer Global based in
Monaco and chaired by
Eyal Ofer.[2] It has a long-standing business relationship with
Mediterranean Shipping Company.
In 2012, ZM owned the
MSC Napoli, the container ship that ran into difficulty in the English Channel.[5][6]
According to a 2014 analysis conducted by
Globes, the companies of the Zodiac group generated together an operating profit of just over $1.5 billion in 2003–12, with an operating profit margin of 39%, and a 0.49% tax rate on profits.[7]
In July 2014,
Eyal Ofer, the principal of Zodiac Group, received an honorary life membership of the
Baltic Exchange for his contribution to shipping in the UK and global maritime trade.[8] Later that year, he was named in the top 10 most influential people in the shipping industry according to
Lloyds List 2014.[9]
Iran has persistently attacked various vessels and seized ships amidst political issues since 2019.[10][11]
On 13 April 2024, the
IRGC Navy seized
Portuguese-
flagged container ship MSC Aries[17] in the
Gulf of Oman off the Emirati port city of
Fujairah, then steered the container ship through the
Strait of Hormuz.[10]
claiming that it had violated maritime laws.[18]MSC Aries is leased by MSC from Gortal Shipping Inc., which is an affiliate of Zodiac.[18]