Pirates kidnap five Ghanaians in Niger Delta

By Tola Adenubi

Suspected maritime pirates on Monday kidnapped five Ghanaians from the Ghanaian flagged general cargo vessel AM DELTA with IMO number 9015929 at 35 nautical miles off the Agbano Terminals in the Niger Delta area.

In an advisory notice issued on Monday to nearby vessels by both the United Kingdom-based maritime consultancy firm, Dryad Global, and the Italian maritime consultancy firm, Praesidium International; the Ghanaian flagged vessel was boarded by six to seven pirates on the 16th of November 2020 at 44 nautical miles South Brass.

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Source: tribuneonlineng.com

Pirates Abduct 14 Seafarers From Heavy Lift Ship in Gulf of Guinea

On Friday, 14 crewmembers were kidnapped from a Chinese heavy-lift ship off the coast of Sao Tome.

According to security consultancy Dryad Global, the heavy lift ship Zhen Hua 7 was boarded by pirates at a position about 80 nm to the northeast of Sao Tome, in the Gulf of Guinea. The ship was drifting at the time of the boarding. 14 out of her 27 crewmembers were kidnapped, and all of the victims are Chinese nationals, according to Dryad.

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Source: maritime-executive.com

CMF and Djibouti develop partnership to combat piracy

In a recent Zoom call, the commander of the Combined Task Force 151, Rear Admiral Nejat Inanir, spoke with the Head of the Djibouti Coastguard, Colonel Waiss Omar Bogoreh to discuss their continued partnership in conducting counter-piracy operations.

Rear Admiral Inanir thanked Colonel Bogoreh for his support in a recent counter piracy operation, Focused Operation Shamal. “It’s been a job really well done. Your assistance is very much appreciated,” said Rear Admiral Inanir. He also passed on a personal message of gratitude from the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) commander, Vice Admiral Samuel Paparo.

While Djibouti is not a member of CMF, CTF 151 regularly works closely with the nation’s Navy and Coastguard to support maritime security operations in the region, sharing information and informing merchant vessels transiting through their waters when military assets are working to protect the region’s shipping lanes nearby.

Colonel Bogoreh said: “We are always willing collaborate further with CMF. We have eight or nine years of a history of working together in what is a very successful relationship.”

Source: combinedmaritimeforces.com

Japanese warship concludes counter-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden

Media Release

After six months conducting counter piracy operations with the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) in the Gulf of Aden, the Japanese ship Ohnami prepares to return to her home port.

The Takanami class destroyer has been working in support of the CMF’s Combined Task Force (CTF) 151, a counter-piracy task force which is currently led by the Turkish Navy.

During their six month deployment JS Ohnami has accompanied hundreds of merchant ships in convoys to safeguard them from pirate attacks as they transit through the Gulf of Aden. The ship has also participated in a number of focused operations to deter piracy activity as the weather becomes more favourable for the pirates to operate small quick skiffs.

“The JS Ohnami’s dedication and professionalism has been essential for successful counter piracy operations. Thank you very much for supporting CTF 151 in so many diverse ways,” said Rear Admiral Nejat Inanir, commander of CTF 151.

With such a vast area of operations to patrol, partnership is at the centre of counter piracy operations in the region. The ability to work with other nations, across multiple languages, during operations and exercises is key to is key to the success of CTF 151 in combating piracy activity in the High Risk Area.

Led by Commander Ishidera, the Ohnami crew have also engaged in many Passing Exercises, proving their ability to operate with warships from many nations. These exercises involve sharing information between partner navies securely and effectively, a crucial part of combating piracy.

As the JS Ohnami prepares to sail home from her successful deployment, the Japanese Maritime Self Defence Force has handed over the baton to another destroyer, the JS Ariake, to continue the vital work to secure freedom of navigation of the millions of tons of merchant shipping that transits through the region annually.

Established in 2001, CMF comprises 33 member nations united by their desire to maintain maritime security by countering non-state actors who use the maritime environment to conduct illegal acts such as narcotics smuggling and piracy.

Two tankers avert pirate attacks off West Africa

Two tankers transiting West Africa have successfully averted attacks by pirates on their crew, even though one of the tankers was boarded. Lee Hong Liang writes in Seatrade Maritime News:

“According to reports cited by maritime security intelligence firm Dryad Global, pirates boarded a Singapore-flagged chemical tanker Torm Alexandra in south Cotonou, Benin around 0643 UTC.”

Further, Maritime Executive carried images taken by a helicopter deployed by the Italian frigate, INS Martinengo, which show at least four men in a skiff containing fuel barrels and powered by twin outboard engines.

An incident alert was sent by MDAT-GoG on Saturday, which read:

1. CATEGORY: BOARDING

2. TIME: 07 Nov 2020 at 0640UTC.

3. DESCRIPTION: Unknown number of perpetrators have boarded a MV. All crew are in the citadel. Local authorities are aware of the situation.

4. POSITION: 03°39’48N 002°29’49E (172 Nm south of Cotonou)

This was later updated to show the vessel and crew as safe.

Maritime Security: Controversy Trails Amaechi’s Quest for Another $22.9M Despite Uncompleted $195M Contract to Israeli Firm

Eromosele Abiodun

In a move that has raised eyebrows in government circles, and among stakeholders, Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi is seeking a whopping $22.99 million from the federal government to hire fast intervention vessels to tackle insecurity in Nigerian waters, THISDAY has learnt. This comes hard on the heels of the $195 million maritime security contract approved for the same purpose by the federal government in 2017, which was also pushed through by Amaechi.

A source familiar with the matter said, “That contract is yet to be fully executed.”
The federal government had in 2017 approved a $195 million maritime security contract with an Israeli firm, HLS International Limited, under the Integrated National Security and Waterways Protection Infrastructure, also called the Deep Blue Project. The company allegedly got the contract on the strength of its relationship with Amaechi, even though stakeholders alleged lack of transparency.

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Source: thisdaylive.com

Maritime security: EU to the rescue of ECOWAS civil and maritime professionals

By Moctar FICOU

The European Union (EU) has awarded a grant of 1.5 million euros, or one (1) billion CFA francs, to the Institute for Interregional Maritime Safety (ISMI), the Regional Academy of Marine Science and Technology (ARSTM), to finance 16 training cycles between 2021 and 2024.

This initiative aims to strengthen the maritime security skills of civil and maritime professionals in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). The training, which will begin in January 2021, will put an end to illegal activities in the Gulf of Guinea.

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Source: vivafrik.com

MarsecNews: This item was translated into English by Bing. As a result, some errors may occur.

Navy destroys illegal refineries in South-south

Musa Umar Bologi

Personnel of the Nigerian Navy (NN) destroyed scores of illegal refineries Tangolo Susu, Oputumbi and Promise Land, Edeoha Community, and Oghara in Bonny and Edeoha Local Government Areas of Rivers state and Ethiope West of Delta state.

Coordinator Defence Media Operations, Maj. Gen. John Enenche disclosed this during a press briefing at the Defence Headquarters Abuja on the activities of the military across the country. He said the troops also arrested one suspected gunrunner with one AK 47 rifle and 2 magazines loaded with 7.62mm special ammunition around Road Elele-Owerri in Rivers State.

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Source: blueprint.ng

Vessel thought attacked turns up safe and sound in GoG

Dryad Global has confirmed that the Ship Security Alert System (SSAS) activated on the Panamanian flagged M/T Errina ‘appears to have been in error’ and the vessel has subsequently been shown to be at a location South of Lagos.

Indications were that the vessel position was 200nm West Sao Tome. According to Dryad Global, this position would have been irregular to her known trading pattern.

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Source: bunkerspot.com

MarsecNews: This article updates a story we ran on Oct. 23rd which can be found here. Happy to see the situation resolved.

Navy looks to shore up defence against Moz terror threats

SA mulls making a temporary Richards Bay naval base permanent as IS ups the ante – but experts have a problem with this

Orrin Singh

The South African Navy is looking to establish a permanent base in Richards Bay, on the KwaZulu-Natal north coast, as the rapid escalation of terror-related activities in northern Mozambique have security analysts and government officials concerned.

Sources in the navy told Sunday Times Daily this week that there were “legitimate concerns” of security threats stemming from terror attacks in Cabo Delgado, which had displaced more than 300,000 people, according to the UN Food Programme, and resulted in more than 2,000 deaths in the province.

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Source: timeslive.co.za