Anti-piracy bill will combat maritime crime as sector creates 7,000 jobs

By Tope Templer Olaiya, Sulaimon Salau, Gloria Ehiaghe (Lagos) and Rotimi Agboluaje (Ibadan)

Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dakuku Peterside, has said the agency was taking strategic steps to deal with maritime piracy.

He disclosed that the anti-piracy bill, sponsored by NIMASA, has been passed by the National Assembly and as soon as it is signed into law, it would help tame piracy in and open up more opportunities in the sector.

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Source: guardian.ng

Brazilian Navy Participates in Training to Counter Crimes at Sea on the African Coast

Naval forces from 33 countries came together for exercise Obangame Express to work on countering piracy, drug trafficking, and illegal fishing, which are common in the Gulf of Guinea.

Andréa Barretto

The Brazilian Navy (MB, in Portuguese) participated in the multinational exercise Obangame Express, on the African Coast, for the sixth time. Since 2010, the training gathers naval forces from Africa, Europe, and the Americas. The objective is to boost regional cooperation and promote maritime domain awareness.

The African Coast faces issues such as drug, arms, and human trafficking; illegal fishing, and piracy. During the two-week exercise, Obangame also develops information sharing standards and vessel interdiction expertise, to counter illegal activities at sea.

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Source: dialogo-americas.com

*Brazilian Navy and Angolan Navy service members raise their country flags, on board the Brazilian ship Araguari, deployed for exercise Obangame Express 2019. (Photo: Brazilian Navy)*

Chevron: oil theft, illegal refining, threaten economy

by Bolaji Ogundele

Oil major, Chevron Nigeria Limited has said crude oil theft, illegal oil refining and pipeline vandalism are major threats to Nigeria’s economy.

Chevron in a position paper presented at a one-day seminar on advocacy against crude oil theft in Warri, Delta State, said these challenges have continued to make it difficult for the country to meet its revenue projection, and at the same time have polluted the environment in the Niger Delta region.

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Source: thenationonlineng.net

Ghana Navy, Marine Police assure public of safeguarding the country’s territorial waters

Larry Gaisiee

The Ghana Navy and the Marine and Railways Unit of the Ghana Police Service have assured the public of continues service to safeguarding the port space and Ghana’s territorial waters.

This was said when, the Flag officer in charge of the Eastern Naval Command, Commodore James Kontoh and the Commander of the Marine, Port and Railways Unit of the Ghana Police Service, Chief Superintendent Joseph Ababio participated in Eye on Port’s live broadcast on national television, that seeks to bring port and maritime activities more closer to the public.

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Source: ghanaweb.com

Need for greater maritime collaboration in the Indian Ocean Region: Indian Navy Deputy Chief

Issues related to human and drug trafficking, maritime piracy and the legal aspects of combating these challenges are being discussed by experts at the Maritime Information Sharing Workshop, (MISW).

Stressing on the need for greater maritime collaboration, Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff Vice Admiral MS Pawar said there is a need to forge bonds based on trust, between partner countries in the region.

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Source: financialexpress.com

Another Marine battalion to be deployed in Sulu

Jaime Laude

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Marines Corps (PMC) is sending another battalion to Sulu to help in the operations against Abu Sayyaf bandits in the province and nearby areas.

Capt. Felix Serapio Jr., PMC spokesman, said the 8th Marine Battalion Landing Team (MBLT-8) is ready for deployment in Sulu after a nine-month training in Manila.

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Source: philstar.com

Luxury cruise ships return to Sri Lanka following Easter terror explosions

COLOMBO, June 11 (Xinhua) — Sri Lanka’s leading tour operators said on Tuesday that luxury cruise ships have begun calling at Sri Lanka’s ports following the improved security situation in the island country after the Easter terror attacks on April 21 which killed over 250 people.

Aitken Spence Maritime, agents for Hapag-Lloyd, was quoted by local media as saying that the shipping groups MS Europa 2 cruise ship called at Sri Lanka’s Colombo Port in the capital and Hambantota port in the south recently with 309 passengers and 356 crew onboard.

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Source: xinhuanet.com

Nigeria’s Economy Bleeds with N995bn Loss Annually to Crude Oil Theft’

By Babatunde Akinsola

A consultant to the Nigeria Natural Resource Charter (NNRC), Mr. Niyi Awodeyi, has disclosed that about N995.2 billion is lost annually due to crude oil theft. Awodeyi, which said the amount was discovered in a recent findings, also estimated that N3.8trillion was lost in 2016.

Awodeyi, who also quoted a World Bank report stated that 80 per cent of crude oil revenue in Nigeria was in possession of just one percent of the country’s population, stated that the award of security contracts, “gave the actors access to the pipelines”, with surprise increase in crude oil theft.

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Source: naija247news.com

Maritime security: “The Indian Ocean has become a hub for drug trafficking,” says SAJ

BY EMILY PAYEN, BY PREITY RAMESSUR-BHOYROO

A presentation by the Ministerial Maritime Security in Eastern and Southern Africa and Indian Ocean (ESA-OI) took place at the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) on Tuesday 11 June. The meeting was attended by Minister Mentor Sir Anerood Jugnauth and Minister of Foreign Affairs Nando Bodha.

“The Indian Ocean has become a hub of drug trafficking,” said the minister’s mentor. He explained that “we must take steps to counter this problem.”

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Source: defimedia.info

Nigeria ranks highest in piracy, vessel stowaways — Insurance report

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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Source: punchng.com