Ghana, Cote D’Ivoire and other ECOWAS members sign MOU for maritime operations

The Chiefs of Navies of Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, Sierra Leone and Guinea, the Chief of Coast Guard of Liberia and the high Commander of the National Gendarmerie of Burkina Faso have signed a Memorandum of understanding (MoU) for joint Maritime operations in ECOWAS maritime zone F.

Collaboration, Coordination and the pooling of resources for collective security and safety of Zone F Maritime Domain were the core engagements that was agreed in the MoU signed in Accra. With this MoU, ECOWAS intends to provide an important response to any sort of threat to maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea and specifically in zone F.

To continue reading, please click here.

Source: ghanaweb.com

Iran’s Oil Tanker Gambit Has Nowhere to Go

To judge by the propaganda of the Iranian regime, the brave warriors of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps had captured a Royal Navy guided-missile destroyer. Video footage shows the IRGC men rappelling down to a ship while other fearless comrades, looking on from speedboats racing alongside the vessel, cheer them on with shouts of “Allah Akbar!” Still images show the men advancing cautiously down the deck, automatic weapons pointed forward in preparation of a fierce gun battle.

Stirring stuff for an Iranian audience raised on stories of Albion’s many historical perfidies against their nation! Except the captured ship was not the mighty HMS Duncan, bristling with missiles and men-at-arms, but the Stena Impero, a small oil tanker with a motley complement of 23 civilians—and not a single man jack among them holding a British passport.

To continue reading, please click here.

Source: hellenicshippingnews.com

Maritime Union Report on the Dangers Seafarers Face on Ships in the Persian Gulf

First Hand Report on Transiting the Strait of Hormuz in a Merchant Vessel

PERSIAN GULF – As with the case of piracy in the waters off the Somali Coast, nothing brings the realities of dangers at sea whilst transiting the seas in the region like the first-hand accounts of those who have experienced the terrors of passing through the Strait of Hormuz whilst anticipating an attack from armed forces.

With security levels raised by the British government following the seizure of the UK-flagged tanker Stena Impero the focus of the maritime unions has been on the welfare of their members and now Nautilus International, the trade union for maritime professionals, has released the testimony of one of its members, via a report by Helen Kelly, illustrating the circumstances faced by seafarers in the region.

To continue reading, please click here.

Source: handyshippingguide.com

West Africa piracy threatens regional trade plans: Ghana minister

Piracy in the waters off West Africa threatens plans to bolster regional trade, Ghana’s defence minister warned Wednesday, as navy chiefs discussed efforts to secure the troubled waters.

The Gulf of Guinea is the most dangerous stretch of sea for pirate attacks in the world, according to the International Maritime Bureau (IMB).

To continue reading, please click here.

Source: theeastafrican.co.ke

TTCG continues search for missing fishermen

The Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard (TTCG) has given the assurance that they are searching for the fishermen that were stranded at sea after being forced into the water by pirates that stole their vessel in the vicinity of Orange Valley in the Gulf of Paria on Tuesday.

In a release, the TTCG said at 3:08 pm on July 23rd, they received a report of a robbery at sea involving seven vessels with potentially five people still in the water. The informant indicated that he, along with other fishermen, were beaten and ordered to enter the water.

To continue reading, please click here.

Source: looptt.com

Pirates Kill Two Army Officers In Bayelsa

Suspected sea pirates have attacked and killed two soldiers at an oil flow station located at Azagbene community in Ekeremor Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.

According to reports, the suspected sea pirates struck on Monday night, leaving two soldiers dead, one other missing. They carted away their riffles.

To continue reading, please click here.

Source: shipsandports.com.ng

Piracy in Asia sees reduced incidents in first half: ReCAAP

A total of 28 incidents of piracy and armed robbery against ships in Asia were reported in the first half of this year, marking the lowest number in 13 years since the first half of 2007, according to data by ReCAAP Information Sharing Centre (ISC).

While there was a year-on-year drop in first half incidents, 18 incidents were reported in the second quarter, up from 10 incidents in the first quarter.

To continue reading, please click here.

Source: seatrade-maritime.com

Contact made with pirates holding 10 Turkish sailors off Nigeria

After a week of efforts and nervous waiting, contact was reportedly established with the pirates who kidnapped 10 Turkish sailors off Nigeria, as four others remain in the hands of ransom-seeking criminals in the country.

On July 16, 10 Turkish sailors were abducted in the Gulf of Guinea when pirates attacked Turkish-flagged ship Paksoy-1 bound to Abidjan in Ivory Coast from Douala in Cameroon. Out of the ship’s 18 crew members, eight were left on the ship, which was docked in the port of Tema in Ghana.

To continue reading, please click here.

Source: dailysabah.com

Stena Bulk says it has had contact with crew of seized tanker

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) – Stena Bulk, the Swedish-based operator of a British-flagged tanker seized last week by Iran, has been in contact by telephone with the 23 crew members of the vessel, Stena Impero, a spokesman for the operator said on Wednesday.

“We had direct contact with the crew on board the vessel last night by telephone and they’re all okay and in good health and they’re getting good cooperation with the Iranians on board the vessel,” spokesman Pat Adamson said.

To continue reading, please click here.

Source: reuters.com

Ships urged to alert navies before sailing through Strait of Hormuz

LONDON – Shipping associations have called on ship owners to inform Britain’s navy of their movements before sailing into the Middle East Gulf and Strait of Hormuz because of the escalating international crisis in the region.

About a fifth of the world’s oil passes through the Strait of Hormuz and shipping companies are already deploying more unarmed security guards as an extra safeguard.

To continue reading, please click here.

Source: todayonline.com