Five Indian sailors abducted in Nigeria rescued: Shipping Ministry

The High Commission of India in Abuja, Nigeria sought help from the Nigerian Navy to track the whereabouts of the missing Indian sailors, which in turn roped in the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) to lead the rescue efforts.

Five Indian seafarers who had been kidnapped about two-and-a-half months earlier in Nigeria were rescued on Thursday, according to a statement issued by the Shipping Ministry.

“I am happy to share that due to sustained efforts of various stakeholders, including the Ministry of Shipping, the Directorate General of Shipping and the High Commission of India in Abuja, Nigeria, the kidnapped Indian seafarers were successfully released and reached the safe custody of Indian authorities on June 27,” Union Minister of State for Shipping, Mansukh L Mandaviya said.

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Source: hindustantimes.com

Supporting Kenya’s coast guard

Senior officials from the newly established Kenya Coast Guard Services are undergoing training on coast guard functions at a national workshop in Mombasa, Kenya (24-28 June).

Fifteen participants are taking part in the training, which is using scenario development methodology and plenary discussions to highlight issues, identify insights and develop deeper understanding of effective ways to meet coastguard functions – with a view to enhancing maritime security in Kenya.

The training is organised by the United Kingdom and IMO, under the auspices of the Jeddah Amendment to the Djibouti Code of Conduct. It is supported by a joint team from the UK Maritime Coastguard Agency (MCA), Royal Navy International Defence Training (RNIDT), and facilitated by the British Peace Support Team Africa (BPST(A)) and IMO. Other international partners supporting the implementation of the Djibouti code of Conduct (Japan, Denmark and the International Committee of the Red Cross) are also in attendance and contributing to the discussions.

Source: imo.org

Alleged Illegal Oil Bunkering: Navy Hands Over Five Suspects to EFCC

By Olawale Oyegbade

The Nigerian Navy, through the Nigerian Navy today handed over five suspects arrested for illegal oil bunkering to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

The spokesperson of the commission, Tony Orilade confirmed to The Nigerian Voice that the suspects were handed over to EFCC, Port Harcourt’s Zonal Office for further investigation and prosecution.

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Source: thenigerianvoice.com

Piracy is back to infest West African waters, but what’s driving it?

ABHISHEK MISHRA

What makes the waters of the Gulf of Guinea vulnerable to piracy?

When it comes to discussing the concept of maritime security, the concept can be discussed in a variety of contexts. Broadly defined, maritime security concerns the protection of states’ land and maritime territories, and is affected by a broad range of illegal activities, including arms, drugs, and human trafficking, illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, and pollution at sea. But, such acts only tends to get media coverage when pirates are involved.

African maritime security is particularly severely affected by maritime piracy and armed robbery at sea. Maritime piracy is not a new phenomenon; it has existed for as long as people and commodities have traversed the oceans. Under article 101 of UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, piracy is defined as:

“Any acts of violence, detention, or depredation committed on the high seas by the crew or passengers of a private ship or aircraft against another ship, aircraft, persons, or property in a place outside the jurisdiction of any state for private ends.”

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Source: orfonline.org

Trump Questions Need to Protect Persian Gulf Shipping

Questioning the longstanding American policy of defending maritime security in the Persian Gulf, President Donald Trump said Tuesday that the United States does not “need to be there” for merchant shipping in the region.

“China gets 91% of its Oil from the [Strait of Hormuz], Japan 62%, & many other countries likewise. So why are we protecting the shipping lanes for other countries (many years) for zero compensation. All of these countries should be protecting their own ships on what has always been a dangerous journey,” he wrote in a Twitter post on Tuesday morning. “We don’t even need to be there in that the U.S. has just become (by far) the largest producer of Energy anywhere in the world!”

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Source: maritime-executive.com

How to end crude oil theft, by expert

by Precious Igbonwelundu

Nigeria has been advised to create alternative operation routes, secure the evacuation routes and expand export activities to the eastern side of the Niger Delta to contain crude oil theft.

The suggestions were given by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Umugini Pipeline Infrastructure Limited (UPIL), Blessing Ayemhere, on Tuesday during the unveiling of the company’s new logo and brand identity.

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Source: thenationonlineng.net

Wave of Delta kidnappings rings alarm bells

After a relative calm period, unrest in the Niger delta could be on the rise

Eromo Egbejule

Fears that militant violence and sabotage in the Niger delta are about to take off again has been fuelled by a spate of kidnappings of oil industry workers over recent weeks.

In one incident, two Royal Dutch Shell workers were abducted in Nigeria’s oil rich Rivers state in late April 2019, while their police escorts were killed. The two workers—from Canada and the UK—were released after a week, but there are concerns that there will be more problems to come, as Delta unrest picks up after a relatively quiet period.

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Source: petroleum-economist.com

Curfew in ESSZone extended until July 10

KOTA KINABALU: Curfew in the waters off seven districts in the Eastern Sabah Security Zone (ESSZone) which ends tomorrow, has been extended until July 10.

Sabah police commissioner Datuk Omar Mammah in a statement today said the curfew from 6pm to 6am covers the waters of Tawau, Semporna, Kunak, Lahad Datu, Kinabatangan, Sandakan and Beluran.

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Source: thesundaily.my

Maritime Piracy Warnings Issued by REMISC in Sana’a are not Legitimate, Says IMO

By Baibhav Mishra

Alerting the international maritime community on Monday, the IMO stated that warnings currently being issued from the email account of the Regional Maritime Information Sharing Centre (REMISC) in Sana’a, Yemen (infoex@remisc.org) are not legitimate.

Given the current situation in Yemen, the centre has not been able to provide updated piracy incident information, and has temporarily stopped its activities.

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Source: seanews.co.uk

Why Illegal Bunkering Thrives In Niger Delta

By Jeremiah

For Indigenes of Bayelsa, issues of illegal bunkering is not new and has gained acceptance despite repeated clampdown on their operations by security agencies, particularly the Joint Security Task Force, code named Operation Delta Safe. Osa Okhomina examines the operations of the illegal operators amidst growing concern over insecurity, destruction and other environmental effects.

In Bayelsa, the operations of illegal operators of local refineries have become a norm and has been embraced as another way of forceful sharing from the national cake.

While the security agents including the Joint Security Task Force code named Operation Delta Safe and the Nigerian Navy, engage in serious security operations with destruction of Illegal bunkering sites, the shady operation continued in some Bayelsa communities and has become a new way of livelihood.

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Source: leadership.ngdelta/