We cover piracy, armed robbery at sea, IUU fishing, maritime cyber security and maritime security issues.
PETALING JAYA: Police say 12 Filipinos and one local were arrested on suspicion of terrorist activities in anti-terror operations in Semporna and Tambunan last week.
In a statement, Inspector-General of Police Mohamad Fuzi Harun said the suspects were believed to be involved with the Abu Sayyaf and Royal Sulu Force (RSF) militant groups.
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Source: freemalaysiatoday.com
By Emma Amaize
Activists in Niger -Delta, weekend, called on President Muhammadu Buhari to put the Minister of Transport, Rt. Hon Rotimi Amaechi, under control before he plunges the nation into another full-blown oil war.
The campaigners under the auspices of 21st Century Youths of Niger Delta and Agitators with Conscience, in a statement by self-styled “General” Izon Ebi, said, “This will happen if our rights, aspiration and determination of the people to use their PVCs to choose or elect our preferred candidate and representatives are further trampled upon.”
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Source: allafrica.com
The government has drafted the Maritime Zones Bill proposing establishment of a special tribunal to deal with piracy, robbery and maritime violence in the Bangladesh territorial waters settled through legal battles with against India and Myanmar in an international court.
The draft proposed death sentence or life term in addition to forfeiture of property for causing death while committing and offence and indentified two ‘grey areas’ with India and Myanmar.
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Source: newagebd.net
The inauguration of a special panel by the Federal Government to probe alleged looting of assets of the Niger Delta Amnesty Programme is a warning signal that all is not well with a programme that was meant to defuse militancy in the restive Niger Delta region.
While government is committed to making life better for the people of the Niger Delta, some unscrupulous elements are frustrating the good intentions of government and by so doing stoking fire of avoidable violence.
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Source: allafrica.com
ZAMBOANGA CITY – Patrolling soldiers have intercepted a motorboat attempting to smuggle over three dozen bags of ammonium nitrate in Basilan province, a stronghold of pro-ISIS Abu Sayyaf group in southern Philippines, the military said Friday.
It said four people were taken into custody by the soldiers and being interrogated by the military. The chemical, which is banned in the Philippines, is usually used by rebels as a key ingredient in the manufacture of homemade bombs. It did not say how many kilos were seized from the four men, but each bag of ammonium nitrate typically is 25 kilos.
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Source: mindanaoexaminer.com
BY AL JACINTO
ZAMBOANGA CITY: The military on Wednesday claimed to have killed nearly 20 pro-Islamic State (IS) bandits, including a Singaporean terrorist, in massive air and ground assaults on a remote hideout in Maguindanao.
The 6th Infantry Division said the campaign, which began on Monday, was aimed at destroying a big group of Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF).
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Source: manilatimes.net
By Eugene Agha Lagos
The Federal Government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Gulf of Guinea nations that will allow for a seamless border patrol.
The Flag Officer Commanding, Western Naval Command, Rear Admiral Obed Ngalabak, disclosed this to newsmen in Lagos yesterday on the activities to flag off this year’s multinational sea exercise code name “OBANGAME”.
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Source: dailytrust.com.ng
According to the ICC IMB’s Piracy Report, Nigerian pirates kidnapped five crewmembers from an OSV in the Gulf of Guinea last weekend despite the efforts of a security escort vessel. After an active firefight between the escort and the attackers, pirates boarded the target vessel, ransacked its cabins and made off with the victims.
At about 1115 hours UTC on Saturday, at a position about 30 nm off Brass, Nigeria, armed pirates in two speed boats approached an OSV under way. The OSV’s captain called for help from what IMB ICC described as a “naval escort security boat,” which maneuvered to engage the attackers. One speed boat closed in from port side of the vessel and crossed the bow, while the other speed boat exchanged fire with the security boat.
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Source: maritime-executive.com
Pirates armed with machine guns in two speed boats approached an underway offshore support vessel at 1115 UTC in position 03:57.2N – 006:39E, around 32nm SE of Brass, Nigeria. Captain immediately notified the naval escort security boat which manoeuvred to engage the attackers. One speed boat closed in from port side of the vessel and crossed the bow, while the other speed boat exchanged fire with the security boat. Alarm raised, crew proceeded to the engine room and all power was shut down. The pirates boarded the vessel with the aid of an elongated ladder. They broke into the accommodation, vandalised the cabins and took crew belongings and vessel properties. The pirates then proceeded to the engine room, kidnapped five men and escaped. Remaining crew sailed the OSV under escort to a safe anchorage. One Nigerian Navy armed guard reported killed in the exchange of fire between the naval security boat and the pirates. Investigations ongoing. Reported (MDAT/IMB) 9 Mar. Via OCEANUSLive.org.
Globally, the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) Piracy Reporting Centre, based in Singapore, recorded 201 incidents of maritime piracy and armed robbery in 2018, up from 180 in 2017. The Gulf of Guinea remained increasingly dangerous for seafarers as reports of attacks in waters between the Ivory Coast and the Democratic Republic of Congo more than doubled in 2018.
The expansion of piracy in the Gulf of Guinea poses a dire threat to local economies, potentially undermining what little stability currently exists in the region. Oil revenue, which many countries in the region rely upon, is seriously threatened by pirate activity; 7 per cent of Nigeria’s oil wealth is believed lost due to such criminality.
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Source: vanguardngr.com
Maritime Security News 