We cover piracy, armed robbery at sea, IUU fishing, maritime cyber security and maritime security issues.
The maritime sector is being targeted by highly motivated cyber criminals and the shipping industry should be on the highest alert for a cyber-attack, warned Naval Dome CEO Itai Sela today.
Speaking at the Singapore Maritime Technology Conference (SMTC) 2019, organised by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore, Sela said: “Somebody, somewhere is targeting the maritime sector. The shipping industry should be on Red Alert.”
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Source: seanews.co.uk
The P-71 Serviola is based on the west African coast and was carrying out security operations on Tuesday when its crew located the ship, which was navigating ‘erratically’ and without transmitting via the Automatic Identification System (AIS). Spanish Naval officials radioed the ship’s crew, who confirmed they had been hijacked four days ago.
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Source: oceanuslive.org
By Aditi James
On July 16, 2013, I was out to dinner with my family, celebrating my uncle’s birthday. Usually, Sunil, my husband, is the kind of guy who never forgets anyone’s birthday — even though he was away at sea with the merchant navy. But he never sent congratulations. I didn’t worry too much at the time. I thought he probably had weak network or was just busy. Two days later, I learned that his ship, Ocean Centurion, had been attacked.
The pirates — they’re now thought to have been a Nigerian gang — kicked open Sunil’s cabin door, blindfolded and beat him. When Sunil, the captain, and his crew came to, the ship had been ransacked. The pirates were gone, but the ship was now drifting aimlessly at sea. Using nautical charts, Sunil guided the ship to the nearest port, Lome in Togo. But there, officials (who couldn’t speak English) made Sunil and two of his fellow sailors sign statements in French (a language they didn’t know). And then: Sunil and the sailors were jailed on suspicion of colluding with the pirates. It turned out that I was his only hope.
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Source: ozy.com
Piracy attacks off Nigeria’s coast fell to 14 in the first quarter from 22 a year ago after the navy improved its response to incidents, the International Maritime Bureau said.
“These results confirm the Nigerian navy’s increased efforts to actively respond to reported incidents by dispatching patrol boats,” the London-based body that tracks attacks on sea vessels said. “Despite these efforts, Nigerian waters remain risky for vessels, especially the port of Lagos where four incidents have been reported.”
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Source: bloomberg.com
KOTA KINABALU: Thirteen people have been arrested by police for alleged involvement in militant activities in Semporna.
Sabah Police Commissioner Datuk Omar Mammah said the suspects, comprising 12 Filipinos and one local, were arrested by Sabah Police Special Branch and Vat 69 Commandos during several operations in Semporna between January and March this year.
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Source: theborneopost.com
The Deputy Zonal Head of the Uyo Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Alex Ebbah, on April 8, 2019, led a team of operatives to the Nigerian Navy Forward Operating Base (FOB) Ibaka, Mbo Local Government Area, Akwa Ibom State, to take over of a large wooden boat used in conveying 501 drums of petroleum products suspected to be Automotive Gas Oil, AGO.
At the time of arrest, eight crew members were onboard the wooden engine boat along with the 300 litre in 501drums, which were used in conveying the product.
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Source: thenewsnigeria.com.ng
THE Malaysian national who was rescued on April 4 by government forces following an encounter with several members of the Abu Sayyaf Group in the hinterlands of Sulu has died.
Armed Forces of the Philippines Western Mindanao Command spokesperson Colonel Gerry Besana said Jari Bin Abdullah passed away on April 9 while being treated at the West Metro Medical Center in Zamboanga City.
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Source: sunstar.com.ph
JENNIFER BELL
DUBAI: A decade ago, during the peak years of the Somali piracy crisis, the waters of the Arabian Gulf faced frequent threats from armed criminals at sea, who disrupted the economy by terrorizing shipping routes.
But experts say regional action — with Saudi Arabia at the forefront — has meant crimes on the high seas have dipped to some of the lowest records in years.
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Source: arabnews.com
ReCAAP Information Sharing Centre (ISC) today held its annual Piracy and Sea Robbery Conference to an audience of international maritime stakeholders including shipping and marine insurance companies, regulators and law enforcement agencies, as well as the diplomatic community based in Singapore.
In his keynote address, Mr. Koji Sekimizu, former Secretary General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) reviewed the history of activities of IMO in dealing with maritime security and anti-piracy actions covering the establishment of ReCAAP, Somali Piracy, the Contact Group in conjunction with UN Security Council decisions, Djibouti Code of Conduct, Best Management Practices, and discussed a number of issues from his wide experience dealing with these matters as UN officer working at IMO and in the wider context of Maritime Governance by UN and IMO.
The conference addressed topics that are currently high on the agenda of the international maritime community including:
“In 2018, there were 76 incidents of piracy and armed robbery reported in Asia. This was a 25% decrease in the total number of incidents and a 31% decrease in actual incidents compared to 2017. Nonetheless, it is important that we continue to reinforce the ownership of the Coastal States in addressing maritime crime, the cooperation between law enforcement agencies and the industry, and the timely reporting by ships, all of which have led to the decrease of incidents in Asia. The topics and speakers of this year’s conference have been designed to reflect the vitality of that shared responsibility,” remarked Masafumi Kuroki, Executive Director of ReCAAP ISC.
“Over the past couple of years, piracy and terrorism in the Sulu and Celebes Seas has been a point of concern for the shipping industry. The valuable counter-piracy lessons learned here, and off Somalia, are worth exploring, and may well be applied in the current piracy hotspot number one: The Gulf of Guinea. The annual ReCAAP ISC conference will surely help us do just that,” said Jakob P. Larsen, Head of Maritime Security at BIMCO.
“The threat from piracy remains, in Asia and also in the Indian Ocean. The Indian Ocean High Risk Area (HRA) continues to serve an important reference in ensuring ships and seafarers are prepared for pirate attacks,” said Tim Wilkins, Environment Director and Regional Manager, Asia-Pacific of INTERTANKO. “A serious threat remains despite the reduction to the area’s geographic boundaries and so correct reporting, vigilance and adherence to the 5th edition of the Best Management Practices to Deter Piracy and Enhance Maritime Security in the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea (BMP5) remains crucial. Shipowners must remain alert and law enforcement agencies must continue to provide protection to shipping.”
Ambassador Ong Keng Yong, Executive Deputy Chairman of RSIS, highlighted the relevance of the conference, “This annual conference is an important knowledge-sharing platform on risks and threats facing the international maritime community. We discussed piracy and sea robbery as well as relevant emerging technologies, and shared ideas on solving problems affecting ship owners and seafarers. The most useful part of this exchange is on how to work together effectively.”
Source: recaap.org
Somaliland wants to be included in the Taskforce on the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD).
The Somaliland government says that any initiative to coordinate a response to changing Red Sea environs that does not include them in a meaningful way will lack the credibility, capability and representativeness necessary to contend with competing multinational cooperation efforts in these waters.
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Source: menafn.com
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