We cover piracy, armed robbery at sea, IUU fishing, maritime cyber security and maritime security issues.
By Faustine Kapama
HIGH Court Judge Yose Mlyambina has advised the State to amend the Penal Code of the United Republic of Tanzania, in particular, and the provisions relating to piracy cases in order to draw closer to the developments at the international level.
Dr Mlyambina made the appeal recently while delivering the first judgment in a piracy case, also the first to be determined in the country’s judicial system.
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Source: allafrica.com
By: Betymie Bonnelame and Rassin Vannier
(Seychelles News Agency) – Three out of five suspected pirates from Somalia who were transferred to Seychelles by EU NAVFOR last week were remanded until May 13 by the Supreme Court on Monday.
The EU NAVFOR Somalia Operation Atalanta transferred the five suspects to Seychellois authorities after responding to piracy attacks on 21 April 2019, the local Department of Foreign Affairs said on Saturday.
The suspects were transported by Spanish flagship ESPS Navarra and transferred to Seychellois authorities in accordance with a transfer agreement between the Seychelles and the European Union with support from UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
Only three out of the five Somali suspects appeared in court on Monday while the other two are receiving medical assistance after they were injured in the piracy attacks.
For humanitarian reasons, Operation Atalanta requested medical assistance from the Seychelles authorities for two of the suspects likely to have been wounded during the piracy attempts.
The case is being heard by Justice Laura Pillay, who remanded the suspects until May 13.
During the court session on Monday, a request was made for appropriate clothes for the detainees and a place for prayer as they are all Muslims.
According to the EU NAVFOR, the incident began on 19 April when five suspected pirates captured a Yemeni dhow off the coast of Somalia. Two days later the pirates attacked the Korean fishing vessel Adria with the dhow acting as a mothership in the Indian Ocean some 280 nautical miles off the coast of Somalia.
On April 23, the EU NAVFOR’s flagship ESPS NAVARRA successfully intercepted and boarded the captured dhow vessel and apprehended the five suspected pirates.
The forces said that this is the first notable piracy incident event since October of last year.
“This incident clearly demonstrates that piracy and armed robbery at sea, off the coast of Somalia, has not been eradicated,” said operation commander Rear Admiral Antonio Martorell.
He added that “the need for a strong maritime security presence in the High-Risk Area remains critical for the deterrence and prevention of future incidents and attacks.”
Source: seychellesnewsagency.com
BEIRUT, LEBANON (9:45 A.M.) – The naval forces of Iran and Russia are preparing to hold joint drills in the Persian Gulf waters, the Mehr News Agency reported.
Citing Iranian naval commander Rear Admiral Hossein Khanzadi, the Mehr News Agency reported that the joint naval drills will take place in Iran’s southern waters.
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Source: almasdarnews.com
The crew of the frigate ‘Navarra’ has carried out the device in the framework of the Atalanta mission; the operation is still open.
Spanish soldiers of the Navarra frigate have intercepted a pirate vessel and captured the crew, which in the previous days had attacked two ships -one of them, Spanish-. The episode took place on the morning of this Tuesday in the waters of the Indian Ocean , in the framework of the Atalanta operation of the European Union to fight against piracy. The device has culminated with the release of a Yemeni fisherman who had been kidnapped for four days.
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Source: maritimeherald.com
JEDDAH: The head of the Saudi Border Guards has warned that maritime security in the Red Sea and elsewhere can only be achieved if the root of piracy and maritime crime are addressed.
Gen. Awad bin Eid Al-Balwi, director general of the Saudi Border Guards, was speaking at the opening of an international workshop on Tuesday on dealing with piracy and other crimes at the Mohammed bin Naif Institute for Maritime Science and Security Studies in Jeddah.
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Source: arabnews.com
By Faustine Kapama
THE High Court in Dar es Salaam has sentenced seven Somali nationals to life imprisonment over piracy. Judge Yose Mlyambina meted the harsh sentence last week against Mohamed Adam, Bashir Rooble, Muhsini Haji, Abdulwaidi Abdalahamani, Faragani Abdul, Ally Nur Ally and Omar Mohamed, alias Mudhee after convicting them of the charges they were facing.
He took into consideration evidence by 14 prosecution witnesses and six documentary exhibits as well as the defence testimony by the accused.
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Source: allafrica.com
On 21 April, fishing vessels FV Adria and FV Txori Argi were attacked by suspected pirates in the Indian Ocean, 280 NM off the coast of Somalia. The piracy attacks were thwarted, and the crew and vessels remained safe, thanks to the application of Best Management Practices (BMP) protection measures by the Masters, the crews and the private security teams embarked on both fishing vessels.
EU NAVFOR Somalia Operation Atalanta confirms these attacks. It is likely that the attacks were facilitated by a mothership, which was reportedly seized by armed men on 19 April off the central Somali Coast.
EU NAVFOR subsequently dispatched its Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance Aircrafts to search the area. In addition, EU NAVFOR flagship ESPS Navarra left the port in Mombasa in order to proceed into the area.
On 23 April, ESPS NAVARA successfully intercepted and boarded the dhow being used as a mothership.
The operation is still ongoing, and more details will be provided upon completion.
EU NAVFOR remains committed to deterring, preventing and suppressing piracy and emphasizes that the Maritime Industry must adhere to BMP measures in order to maximize the safety of the ship and their crews whilst transiting the high-risk area.
Source: eunavfor.eu
Two trawlers were involved in an incident at 0712 UTC in position 00:29S – 048:36E, approx 248nm SE of Mogadishu, Somalia. One trawler approached by two skiffs with 8-10 POB. Second trawler went to provide aid and was fired upon. Embarked AST returned fire and skiffs departed. Crew and vessels are SAFE. Reported (UKMTO) 21 Apr. Via: OCEANUSLive.org
The Indian Navy and several other agencies involved in coastal defence and maritime security brainstormed over the outcome of the ‘Sea Vigil’ exercise — the first-of-its-kind multi-agency drill covering the entire 7,516 km-long Indian coastline and exclusive economic zone.
The mega exercise took place on January 22 and 23 with participation of 13 coastal states and union territories along with all maritime stakeholders with an aim to check the efficacy of maritime security and surveillance.
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Source: business-standard.com
Speaking at a meeting with 120 representatives from Iranian trade and economic sectors held in Muscat, ambassador Nouri Shahroudi said the two countries will be staging a joint military drill in the coming days.
“Currently, our joint military committee is present in Oman, and we will hold a joint maneuver in the coming days,” he said.
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Source: en.mehrnews.com
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