Private armed guards not allowed onboard vessels in Nigeria –Navy

Maritime Security News: Not entirely sure why they feel the need to restate this policy.

The Nigerian Navy has disclosed that private armed guards are still not permitted on merchant vessels in Nigeria. Rear Admiral, Begroy Enyinna Ibe-Enwo, representing the Chief of Naval Staff, confirmed this last week at the West Africa Shipping Summit in London, as part of highlight of events at the London International Shipping Week.

At the event, both NIMASA and the Navy acknowledged the challenges in securing the Nigerian maritime domain and affirmed the collaboration between both organisations to stem the incidents of piracy and armed robbery at sea.

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Source: sunnewsonline.com

The future of Philippine maritime enforcement

Michael van Ginkel

Illicit activity in the Sulu and Celebes Seas continues to pose a daunting maritime security challenge for the Philippines. The recent kidnapping of nine fishermen off the coast of Borneo and the increasingly violent modus operandi of the militant Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) have raised safety concerns amongst Philippine policy makers and local communities. Although the Philippines has initiated several maritime enforcement initiatives, including the extensive National Coastal Watch System (NCWS), the government needs to enhance cooperation between land-based and maritime operations and increase engagement between military and civilian agencies to improve regional maritime stability.

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Source: theaseanpost.com

Houthis Obstruct Oil Tankers to Threaten Maritime Security

Asma al-Ghabri

The Iran-backed Houthi militias’ refusal to implement a legitimate Yemen government order on collecting customs fees on all oil derivative revenues at Hodeidah port has led the halt of ten vessels in the Red Sea.

At Houthi orders, the oil tankers did not pay the revenues and did not disclose the certificate of origin of the shipment that ensures its legality.

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Source: aawsat.com

Combating Emerging Security Threats in the Maritime Domain

Aside the traditional crimes that have bedeviled the maritime domain for decades, Chiemelie Ezeobi writes that emerging security threats like attacks on shipping, sabotage of hydrocarbon infrastructure and maritime resource theft, as well as other transnational organised crimes, are some of the challenges being tackled by the Nigerian Navy in its quest to secure the nation’s and the Gulf of Guinea waters

World over, security threats keep evolving from traditional to conventional warfare. In the maritime domain, same rings true. In the past, the maritime domain was threatened by piracy, sea robbery, illicit trafficking, illegal unreported and unregulated fishing (IUUF) and marine pollution. Now, emerging security threats within the Nigerian maritime domain stem largely from non-military causes such as socio-economic agitations and unemployed youths within the coastal communities, which are manifested through attacks on shipping, sabotage of hydrocarbon infrastructure and maritime resource theft.

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Source: thisdaylive.com

Nigeria’s Greasy, Sleazy, Billion-Dollar Oil Theft Industry

By Michael Eboh

In January 2019, security operatives conducting surveillance on oil installations in Lagos State, nabbed Mr. Shuaibu Ogunmola, an alleged kingpin of oil pipeline vandalism in Lagos State, who it claimed was responsible for loss of millions of litres of petroleum products daily.

He had operated a thriving oil theft racket for decades, hacking pipelines in some island communities in Amuwo-Odofin Local Government Area of Lagos State, along the strategic System 2B pipeline network Right-of-Way. His activities had through the years, led to loss of millions of litres of products along the Lagos Atlas Cove strip.

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Source: allafrica.com

57 suspected oil thieves arrested in Nigeria

Nigerian navy troops operating in the oil rich Niger Delta region arrested 57 suspected oil thieves in its anti-oil theft operations, an officer said Friday.

They were nabbed for allegedly smuggling crude oil and illegally refining diesel, Adegoke Ebo, head of the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Pathfinder, said in the southern city of Onne in Rivers state, while handing over the suspects and items to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Friday.

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Source: newsghana.com.gh

Criminals to forfeit ships, illegal proceeds to govt

By BAYO AKOMOLAFE

Efforts by government to tackle illegal bunkering, kidnapping, illegal fishing and smuggling on Nigerian waters have assumed a new dimension as past attempts failed to yield any meaningful result due to lack of effective law.

In the past, Nigeria had participated actively in a multi-national maritime exercise sponsored by the United States Military Africa Command (AFRICOM). Recently, it also participated in the 2019 Exercise Obangame Express attended by 33 countries from West Africa, Europe and North America.

The country had also acquired patrol boats and trained personnel with huge funds but these feats have not deterred criminals on Nigerian waters.

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Source: newtelegraphng.com

Navy uncovers illegal diesel depot in Akwa Ibom

The Nigerian Navy in Ikot Abasi has uncovered an illegal Automated Gas Oil (popularly known as diesel) depot in Eket Local Council of Akwa Ibom.

Leader of the team, Lieutenant Commander Umaru Sidi, made the revelation while handing over the recovered items to the state command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) yesterday in Eket.

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Source: guardian.ng

Oil theft: Navy deploys helicopter, other arsenals to curb crime

Ben Dunno

The Central Naval Command of the Nigerian Navy has intensified its ongoing war against illegal bunkering activities along the coastal region with the deployment of additional surveillance aircraft, gadgets and weapons to curb the menace.

The latest addition to the naval fleets in the region includes a helicopter, four ships, and two riverine patrol gunboats to boost the operational efficiency of men and officers both in aerial and land surveillance along the waterways.

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Source: sunnewsonline.com

Oman – Cooperation is paramount for maritime security: Sayyid Badr

Oman remains at the forefront of maritime security in the region in league with navies from around the world. It is cooperating with agencies such as the EU Navfor for free flow of international trade in the region as well as around the Horn of Africa.

Speaking at the Indian Ocean Conference in the Maldives recently on the topic of ‘Securing the Indian Ocean Region: Traditional and Non-Traditional Challenges’, Sayyid Badr bin Hamad al Busaidi, Secretary General in Oman’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that maritime security is built upon the foundations of law and operational security.

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Source: menafn.com