We cover piracy, armed robbery at sea, IUU fishing, maritime cyber security and maritime security issues.
Nike Popoola
Nigeria overtook Indonesia in global piracy incidents in the maritime sector, accounting for one out of every four reported cases in 2018, according to the latest report by Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty, a global corporate insurance carrier and a key business unit of Allianz Group.
The report also revealed that Nigeria’s port saw the highest number of reported cases of stowaways on commercial vessels.
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The French Government has commended Kenya for establishing a Coast Guard Unit to police its vast Coastal maritime waters.
President Uhuru Kenyatta late last year unveiled the Kenya Coast Guard Service (KCGS) and launched into service its first offshore patrol boat christened Doria in Mombasa.
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Some of shipping’s top stakeholders met on Friday at the London headquarters of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to demand action to counter the dire piracy situation off the Gulf of Guinea, which is causing severe distress for seafarers who have to transit the region.
The event, co-sponsored by BIMCO, IMCA, ICS, ITF and OCIMF, drew members of the shipping community, flag states and agencies from the Gulf of Guinea.
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By Teofilo Garcia, Jr.
ZAMBOANGA CITY — Police arrested Wednesday three members of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) in this southern port city.
The Police Regional Office-9 (PRO-9) identified the arrested ASG members as Jamik Ibrahim, Majuk Amil, and Hasim Aming. Ibrahim and Amil were arrested in Barangay Arena Blanco, while Aming in Magay, Barangay Zone 1.
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by Carson Jnr
For the past few weeks, Kenya’s diplomatic relations with the Federal Republic of Somalia has steadily been getting worse, thanks to the ongoing maritime row pitting oil wells along the Indian Ocean.
Amid the row, it is apparent that Kenya could be staring at fresh security threats from terrorist groups as Al-Shabaab, and to some extent, the ISIS who might be watching from a distance, hoping that Kenya gets into a war with Somalia.
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Source: hivisasa.com
Anna Okon
Following the increasing rate of piracy and hijacking of the crew for ransom in Nigerian waters, especially in the Gulf of Guinea, Indian Directorate General of Shipping in Mumbai, has issued a restriction on all seafarers who are Indian nationals, banning them from working in vessels in Nigeria and the Gulf of Guinea.
In a circular sent to all shipping owners, shipping companies and other practitioners which was signed by the Director-General of Shipping in India, Capt Anish Joseph, the state reportedly observed that there was an increasing trend in the number of incidents taking place inside the various coastal states jurisdiction in the GoG.
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Source: punchng.com
By ELISHA BALA-GBOGBO
ABUJA (Bloomberg) — Just as Nigeria gets to grips with militants who brought the nation’s oil industry to its knees a few years ago, another group of longstanding foes are slowly making a comeback: thieves.
Saboteurs including thieves caused an 80% increase in the number of spills in 2018, Royal Dutch Shell Plc, the largest international producer in the West African country, said in a report last month. By contrast, there have been no militant-related halts to operations since 2016.
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By Teofilo Garcia, Jr
ZAMBOANGA CITY — Government troops recovered an arms cache belonging to Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) bandits in an island off Sulu province, a top military official said Wednesday.
Major Gen. Divino Rey Pabayo, Joint Task Force Sulu commander, said the arms cache was discovered in Minis Island, Patikul, Sulu at about 7:45 a.m. Monday.
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The decision by the Federal Government to delay the implementation of the community engagement standards in Niger-Delta may have resulted in the spate of unwholesome activities in the region, an energy expert, Meka Olowola, has said.
He said the activities include pipeline vandalism, crude oil theft and other untoward practices in the region, adding that the development has slowed down oil production in Nigeria.
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Switzerland has asked an international court to order Nigeria to release a Swiss-flagged oil tanker, its cargo and crew that have been detained off Port Harcourt for the past 16 months.
The Swiss foreign ministry said in a statement weekend that it had appealed on May 21 to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea to order Nigeria to release the San Padre Pio tanker.
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Source: orientdailynews.com.ng
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