Naval service specialists deliver training to Kenyan forces

Royal Marines and Royal Navy specialists have been showing Kenyan security forces how to improve their ability to fight piracy, illegal fishing and drugs trafficking.

Specialists from 1 Assault Group Royal Marines’ Board and Search School and landing craftsmen from 43 Commando Fleet Protection Group travelled to Mombasa – Kenya’s second-largest city and one of Africa’s biggest trading hubs – to deliver training and share expertise.

The contingent, made up of Royal Marines and Royal Navy ranks, were part of the Tri-Service British Peace Support Team, an organisation that aims to aid United Nations and African Union Peace Support Operations.

The training group sought to understand the current situation that is impacting Kenya’s economy and create a coherent strategy for the future as they look to shore up security in the Indian Ocean port.

The training aimed to help Kenyan security forces become better equipped to deal with the threats they face and develop a clear plan to continue protecting their waters.

The majority of Kenyan trade comes through Mombasa and shutting down criminal activity is a priority for the country’s security forces.

Around 30 personnel from a variety of Kenyan agencies came to train and learn how to conduct successful board and search of suspicious vessels.

The first part of the training consisted of classroom-based sessions on board and search operations at sea, before phase two saw coastguard, police and port authority teams work together to practise their new skills in the water.

The training included an opening and closing ceremony attended by high ranking dignitaries, which included a demonstration of the skills learned during the sessions.

A further training package is now being arranged later this year.

Source: royalnavy.mod.uk

HMCS Regina completes two more drug busts in 4 days

In just 4 days, Her Majesty’s Canadian Ship (HMCS) Regina, under the command of the Pakistan led Combined Task Force (CTF) 150, conducted its second and third illegal narcotic hauls, seizing and destroying just over 4,500Kgs of hashish and 10 Kgs of heroin.

CTF 150 is a multinational maritime force whose mission is to maintain maritime security and prevent illegal activity across the Arabian Sea, Southern Red Sea and Western Indian Ocean. Covering an area of 2.3m square kilometers, CTF 150 works with its coalition partners to help prevent illegal narcotics.

Commodore Alveer Ahmed Noor Si, Commander CTF150 said: “The Pakistan Navy command team is determined to maintain good order at sea through adept deployment of CTF150 Units. Effective Command and Control and close coordination with deployed assets has resulted in the successful seizure of a sizable amount of narcotics. Maritime Domain Awareness and Maritime Security Cooperation between relevant stakeholders is a necessity to overcome various maritime challenges and protect global commerce”. He went onto say: “As Commander of Combined Task Force 150, my aim is to continue working together with regional players, participating nations and maritime organisations in order to further augment collaboration with regional states and harness their support, which remains pivotal for maintaining maritime security throughout the region”.

On the 14^th and 18^th April, HMCS Regina spotted two suspicious dhows, off the coast of Oman in an area known as the “Hash Highway.” The ship deployed its Naval Tactical Operations Group (NTOG) team – working as the boarding team for the ship, and seized hauls of illegal hashish and heroin, which were transferred to HMCS Regina and subsequently destroyed.

Commander Jacob French, Commanding Officer HMCS Regina “We’re honoured to be contributing to counter-terrorism and maritime security efforts in the Middle East, ensuring the funding from illegal narcotics is staying out of the hands of criminal and terrorist organisations. I’m extremely proud of the hard work of our ship’s company, and we remain ready to continue our mission and support CTF 150 and the Combined Maritime Forces.”

Lt (N) Jacob Killawee, NTOG Officer in Charge said, “Our priority when boarding these ships is the safety and welfare of the fishermen we encounter, drugs being there or not. In order to effectively deter and disrupt the flow of narcotics that is funding terrorism, it’s just as important for us to build trust with the people who are being exploited by those same actors who wish to do us harm. We are trained and prepared for a worst case scenario, but treating the crew with dignity and respect makes our job easier and safer for everyone involved. Our success validates the hard work we’ve done in preparation for this deployment, ensuring that we were in the right place, with the right training and equipment to achieve this result.”

Source: combinedmaritimeforces.com

Saudi Arabia assists Iranian oil tanker in Red Sea, no injuries

RIYADH (Reuters) – Saudi Arabia’s coast guard assisted an Iranian oil tanker with engine trouble off the coast of Jeddah in the Red Sea after Riyadh received a request for help from Iran, the state news agency SPA said on Thursday.

Iran, which confirmed that its vessel had broken down in the area, and Saudi Arabia are arch-adversaries in the Middle East, backing opposite sides in several regional wars.

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Source: reuters.com

Houthis Stage Series of Attacks in Hodeidah ahead of UN Team Visit

Saeed al-Abyad

The Iran-backed Houthi militias have been trying to lure army forces deployed to the outskirts of the coastal city of Hodeidah into armed confrontation.

Analysts said the militias are plotting to break the UN-brokered Stockholm agreement, which was signed last December.

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Source: aawsat.com

Tanzania: State Urged to Amend Penal Code On Ship Piracy

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

After pirate attack off Somalia, judge orders that 5 suspects are held in Seychelles

Only three out of the five Somali suspects appeared in court on Monday while the other two are receiving medical assistance. (Rassin Vannier)

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

Iran, Russia preparing to hold joint naval drills in Persian Gulf

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

Crew Of Pirates Captured By Spanish Soldiers

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

Root of maritime crime ‘must be addressed,’ says Saudi Border Guards chief

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

Tanzania: Seven Somali Nationals Jailed for Life Over Piracy

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