We cover piracy, armed robbery at sea, IUU fishing, maritime cyber security and maritime security issues.
KOTA KINABALU (Oct 8): The curfew in the waters off seven districts in the Eastern Sabah Security Zone (ESSZone), which ends today, has been extended to Oct 23, said Sabah Police Commissioner Datuk Omar Mammah.
The curfew from 6pm to 6am covers the waters off Tawau, Semporna, Kunak, Lahad Datu, Kinabatangan, Sandakan and Beluran, he said in a statement on Monday (Oct 7).
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Source: theedgemarkets.com
KOTA KINABALU — The Malaysian police are working with their Philippine counterparts to secure the release of three Indonesian fishermen kidnapped by Abu Sayyaf-linked gunmen off Lahad Datu on Sept 23.
Sabah Police Commissioner Datuk Omar Mammah said the kidnappers made their ransom demand during a call to one of the victim’s sisters in Sandakan on Sept 30.
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Source: globalnation.inquirer.net
KOTA KINABALU: Security forces in Sabah’s east coast remain on high alert a week into intelligence information saying that Abu Sayyaf-linked gunmen were on their way to Sabah to kidnap high-value targets.
Eastern Sabah Security Command (Esscom) Datuk Hazani Ghazali said they had mobilised their assets to high-risk areas and the alleged target area of Mataking and Pom-Pom island in Semporna, famed among tourists, following the information on Sept 30.
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Source: thestar.com.my
ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines — A British businessman and his Filipino wife were snatched by at least four gunmen in a coastal village in Tukuran, Zamboanga del Sur on Friday.
Allan Hyrons, 70, and his wife Wilma were seized at Hyrons Beach Resort, which the couple own, in Barangay Alindahaw at around 6:50 p.m., Maj. Helen Galvez, Zamboanga peninsula police spokesperson, said.
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Source: philstar.com
MarsecNews: Although there has so far been no confirmation of the kidnappers’ identity, the Abu Sayyaf Group remain the most likely suspects. Of key concern is their violence; they are known to execute hostages if ransoms are withheld. We hope for a speedy resolution. Reports in the last 24 hours indicate that the AFP organised a naval blockade in an attempt to prevent the suspects from escaping. It would appear that this was unsuccessful.
By Sulaimon Salau and Joke Falaju
Worried by the impact of maritime crime on the regional economy, Nigeria has sought partnership with other countries to tackle the menace headlong.
The Director-General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dakuku Peterside, who made this call at the ongoing Global Maritime Security Conference, in Abuja, said maritime insecurity remains one of the significant challenges affecting international trade, and the quest for sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth, improved livelihood and job creation.
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Source: guardian.ng
MarsecNews: If NIMASA is genuinely looking to collaborate with other nations on maritime crime, then it could be a significant move for the Gulf of Guinea. Traditionally, navies in the region have been slow to cooperate with one another but when they have, it has paid dividends. Overall intelligence sharing in the Gulf of Guinea between states has been poor, but efforts in recent years have improved the situation slightly. There remains, however, an issue with certain nations who have multiple agencies all vying for government funding and competing with one another for relevance. As organised criminal gangs have shifted from petro-piracy to crew kidnap for ransom, the speed of naval response becomes more crucial; it’s a lot harder to track a skiff full of hostages than a tanker.
Genuine cooperation between nation states in the Gulf of Guinea would go a long way to suppress maritime crimes such as piracy and armed robbery, allowing for faster response times. However, as long as some countries continue to downplay the threat of piracy, the situation will persist.
They added that in the latest case Indian security agencies detected the boat on September 30 about 500 nautical miles or 926 km off the Kochi coast.
Sudhi Ranjan Sen
At least 150 kg heroin worth millions of dollars was on Saturday seized in a joint operation of coast guards of India, the Maldives and Sri Lankan from a boat on his way from Pakistan days after it was detected in international waters in the India-Ocean Region (IOR) off Kerala’s Kochi coast, according to officials aware of the development.
The officials said it is the fifth haul of drugs shipped from Pakistan through the sea that has been recovered over the last three months. The Sri Lankan Coast Guard seized 140 kg heroin from a vessel registered in Iran in July 2019 in a similar coordinated operation.
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Source: hindustantimes.com
In the Sulu Seas, kidnap-for-ransom activities perpetrated by Islamic State-linked terrorist networks are on the rise again.
By Kenneth Yeo
On September 23, a group of seven gunmen aboard two pump boats ambushed and seized three fishermen off the coast of East Sabah, in a sign of how the Islamic State (IS) and its affiliated networks continue to trouble the Southeast Asian region. The latest attack follows a surge in ambushes and kidnappings in the last two years along the Sulu Seas, which encompasses the waters around Indonesia, Malaysia’s eastern Sabah state and the Philippines, and has long been a hotspot for piracy and sea robbery. Although there was no claim of responsibility, the attackers are said to be members of an Abu Sayyaf splinter group affiliated with the Islamic State (IS) in Sulu province. It is believed the seven gunman, who were masked, boarded two fishing vessels around midday local time, and abducted three crew members.
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Source: thediplomat.com
Information Fusion Centre — Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR) was set up last year
The Information Fusion Centre – Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR) set up last year has started functioning as an information sharing hub of maritime data and “cuing incident responses” to maritime security situations through a collaborative approach, Navy sources said.
At the just concluded Goa Maritime Conclave (GMC), National Security Adviser Ajit Doval had offered countries in the IOR use of the facility to track movement of vessels on the high seas.
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Source: thehindu.com
A French warship, representing Combined Task Force 150 (CTF 150) seized a huge amount of hashish from a rogue dhow on Wednesday 25 September. The dhow had been tracked for a short period and did not respond to requests from the warship, FS NIVOSE, on her intentions. Highly trained French sailors, in military rigid inflatable boats, conducted a boarding and in the subsequent search, over 2.5 tonnes of the illegal narcotic was discovered and subsequently destroyed.
Commodore Ed Ahlgren Royal Navy, the Commander of Combined Task Force 150, said, ”This substantial seizure clearly and unequivocally demonstrates the true value and significant impact of CMF operations on those malign actors who choose to use the sea for their unlawful purposes. The French warship, FS NIVOSE, operating in Direct Support of the joint UK and French CTF 150 Command, has sought tenaciously those who wish to do us harm and incite instability in both this region and further afield. Thanks to their efforts, they have disrupted a vital flow of funding to nefarious organisations and I congratulate the crew of FS NIVOSE on their success and wish them good hunting for their forthcoming operations.”
CTF 150 is a great example of how the cooperation between international maritime members of the CMF can work together to achieve the common goal of deterring or catching those who risk being a part of illegal narcotics smuggling.
Source: combinedmaritimeforces.com
Operation ‘King Crab’ led by CTF 151 has successfully ended using assets from 9 nations. It involved a concentrated effort over four days, with increased counter-piracy patrols, air reconnaissance and visits to merchant vessels and local dhows. Information sharing and boarding exercises also took place. Rear Admiral Yu said: “Ultimately we all have the same goal of promoting security and stability in the region to legitimate seafarers by defeating piracy. Operations such as ‘King Crab’, greatly increase our ability to do this.”
Source: combinedmaritimeforces.com
Maritime Security News 