Abu Sayyaf ‘member’ killed, 3 others nabbed in anti-drug ops

By Teofilo Garcia, Jr

ZAMBOANGA CITY — An alleged member of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) was killed while three others arrested in separate anti-drug operations in Tawi-Tawi and Zamboanga Sibugay provinces, an official said Wednesday.

Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-Region 9 (PDEA-9) Director Emerson Margate, identified the slain ASG member as Bensal Aradi, and the arrested individuals as Mahmud Ainal, 42; Najil Sangkula, 35; and, Madal Ladang.

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Source: pna.gov.ph

Exercise Imvubu underway in Richards Bay

The SA Navy’s Maritime Reaction Squadron (MRS) has set up camp in the northern KwaZulu-Natal harbour city of Richards Bay for a month-long exercise.

A three platoon MRS company is based at the harbour city’s Naval Island and will, according to SA Navy media liaison officer Commander Sam Khasuli, be testing maritime interdiction and coastal patrol standard operating procedures (SOPs). Exercise Imvubu (hippopotamus in Zulu) will see these SOPs rated when operating from a land base. Additionally, the exercise will evaluate ability and capability of the MRS to operate “a long distance” from the unit’s home base in Simon’s Town where the SA Navy fleet is headquartered.

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Source: defenceweb.co.za

Nigeria vows to end piracy in Gulf of Guinea

By Sulaimon Salau

The Federal Government has promised to employ all machinery to eliminate the act of piracy in the Gulf of Guinea.

The Director-General, the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Bashir Jamoh, warned that individuals or organizations thinking of perpetuating any form of illegalities in the Gulf of Guinea should be ready to face the full wrath of the law with the antipiracy law in place.

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Source: guardian.ng

Nigeria hands over vessel, crew suspected of piracy to Ghana

The Nigerian government has handed over the fishing vessel, Marine 707, suspected to be carrying out illegal activities in the Gulf of Guinea to the Ghanian authorities for further investigation and possible prosecution. Nigeria also handed over 51 crew members including 48 Ghanaians and three south Korea nationals to the government of Ghana and Korea respectively.

The vessel which had authorisation to fish in Ghana and Benin waters was arrested by the Nigerian Navy on May 18, 2020 around the southwest of Lagos waters with her Automatic Identification System (AIS) switched off after being suspected to be used for piracy or being used as a mother ship to conduct piracy in the Gulf of Guinea was handed over to the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) after preliminary investigations by the Navy.

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Source: premiumtimesng.com

4 troopers, 2 Abu Sayyaf members killed in Sulu encounter

Roel Pareño

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines — Four Army Special Forces were killed while 17 others were wounded in a fight that erupted Friday as the government troops encountered 40 members of the Abu Sayyaf group in a jungle lair in Patikul town, Sulu, military official confirmed Saturday.

The military said two Abu Sayyaf members were also killed and others were wounded in the encounter.

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Source: philstar.com

Police search for 2 women, baby abducted by pirates in Rivers

Okafor Ofiebor

The whereabouts of two women and a baby who were abducted by gunmen suspected to be Sea Pirates along the waterways of Degema in Rivers State are still unknown.

The women and the baby were among passengers in the boat attacked by  Sea Pirates along the waterways of Namasibi, New Calabar Rivers, in Degema Local Government area of Rivers State on Thursday.

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Source: thenewsnigeria.com.ng

Report: Maritime Cyberattacks Up by 400 Percent

Cybersecurity consultancy Naval Dome has reported a 400 percent increase in attempted hacks since February 2020. The primary cause is an increase in malware, ransomware and phishing emails attempting to exploit the COVID-19 pandemic, but Naval Dome says that global travel restrictions, social distancing measures and the economic recession are beginning to cut into companies’ self-defense capabilities.

In addition, since OEM technicians have a harder time traveling to service systems on board ships and rigs, they are increasingly making “remote” service calls that require the operator to bypass security protections – creating an opening for a cyberattack.

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Source: maritime-executive.com

Suspected sea pirates reportedly attack passenger boat in Rivers

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Armed men suspected to be sea pirates have allegedly hijacked a passenger boat around the Namasibi axis of the New Calabar River, Degema Local Government Area of Rivers State.

It was gathered the boat was travelling from Port Harcourt to Ke Clan in Degema before armed bandits attacked the boat.

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Source: dailypost.ng

NNPC Records 74 Pipeline Breaches in Two Months

Emmanuel Addeh

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) lost over N20 billion due to 74 pipelines breaches by suspected crude oil thieves in January and February this year, the national oil company has said.

Information obtained from the corporation also indicated that from the illegal activities of the vandals, loss of refined products, especially petrol, amounted to about 56 million litres from January to April 2020, from its system 2B alone.

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Source: thisdaylive.com

Alleged oil theft : DPR hands over nine vessels to Navy, EFCC

The Department of Petroleum Resources said nine vessels allegedly involved in oil theft had been handed over to the Nigerian Navy and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Sarki Auwalu, Director, DPR, made the disclosure on Wednesday during an online interactive session with the media on topical issues in the oil and gas industry.

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Source: theeagleonline.com.ng