We cover piracy, armed robbery at sea, IUU fishing, maritime cyber security and maritime security issues.
Emma Elekwa
Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) Anambra State has solicited the collaboration of the Nigerian Navy towards strengthening the security architecture in the state.
The NSCDC State Commandant, David Bille made the appeal on Tuesday while hosting the newly appointed Commanding Officer Naval Outpost Onitsha (NOPO), Captain Innocent Pius Udoudoh.
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Source: thenationonlineng.net
A recent increase in theft, robbery, and piracy on board ships in the ports of Manila and Batangas could possibly “derail” the country’s plan to become a major crew change hub.
This was the statement made by one of the industry’s manning leaders following a report made by the Singapore Navy’s Information Fusion Centre (IFC) that two sea robberies, six thefts, and two attempts at piracy from January to August 2020 were recorded in Manila and Batangas bays.
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Source: manilatimes.net
KARACHI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News – 15th Sep, 2020 ) :Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA) and Pakistan Customs in a joint intelligence based counter narcotics operation recovered almost 2700 kilograms of hashish worth around Rs 820 million.
A statement issued here Tuesday said that the PMSA aircraft during patrolling at high seas spotted a suspicious boat which was hiding in a group of fishing boats. Immediately PMSA ship was tasked towards the Contact of Interest.
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Source: urdupoint.com
Security Agencies in Ghana and their counterparts in Togo, Benin and Nigeria have intensified investigations to rescue two South Korean nationals who were kidnapped in Ghanaian waters by pirates.
The victims, a captain and first engineer of the fishing vessel AP703, were kidnapped on the high seas of Ghana on August 28, 2020.
However, 49 other Ghanaian crew members were left after their properties were seized by the pirates.
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Source: modernghana.com
All Coast Guard stations and sub-stations in Metro Manila, Central Luzon, and Southern Tagalog districts were directed Thursday to intensify their watch over robbery incidents as an increase in robberies in the areas were recently reported.
Admiral George Ursabia, Jr., Philippine Coast Guard commandant, has ordered the district stations “to intensify intelligence gathering and maritime patrol operations in the vicinity waters of Manila Bay and Southern Luzon to prevent or deter the occurrence of said incidents.”
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Source: mb.com.ph
Despite the coronavirus pandemic, piracy and other crimes have surged in Asian waters in the first seven months of the year, many committed by a Philippines-based Islamist group linked to Islamic State, according to a report released on Wednesday.
Especially hard hit have been the Sulu Sea and coastal areas of the southern Philippines, said the report by Babel Street, an open source data analysis company based in Virginia.
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Source: hellenicshippingnews.com
Chaos at sea: Pirates are said to have hijacked the tanker “Aegean II” in the Gulf of Aden, the shipping service “G-Captain” reported at the end of August. Two days later it was reported that men in police uniforms had boarded the “Aegean II”. They took the weapons from the private security forces on board the ship and demanded money from the 20-member ship crew. As a Spanish military ship approached, they disappeared as quickly as they had come. It is still unclear whether the perpetrators were pirates – or even Somali policemen.
It is not only in eastern Africa that the security situation for international merchant shipping is critical. In its “Piracy Report”, the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) reported 162 pirate attacks worldwide and 130 hijacked ships last year. This represents a 20 percent decrease compared to 2018. But in some areas the situation is different, where the danger increases significantly.
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Source: welt.de
Justice. I. Sani of the Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has convicted the duo of Eimiuhi Gabriel and Godwin Ossai and their company, Ehikioya Associates Nigeria Limited, for operating a vessel, MT Madam Esther in Nigerian territorial waters without due licence and registration from the appropriate authority.
The trio was arraigned on a one-count charge each by the Benin Zonal office of the Economic and Financial Crimes, EFCC. They pleaded guilty to the charge when it was read to them.
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Source: channelstv.com
Press Release
THE Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) and EUNAVFOR have held discussions about developing their partnership in conducting counter-piracy operations in the region.
CMF’s Combined Task Force 151, an anti-piracy task force led by the Turkish Navy, held discussions with Commander of EUNAVFOR’s CTF 465, Rear Admiral Riccardo Marchiò via a video teleconference.
CTF 151 Commander, Rear Admiral Inanir said: “It is important that we continue discussions with our partners, especially in this crucial part of the world.”
“Today we talked about planning joint exercises, focused operations and information sharing. We need to ensure that there are no gaps in our routine patrols, so that we are both able to respond to incidents effectively,” RADM Inanir added.
Whilst the CTF 151 staff conducted the call from the CMF headquarters in Bahrain, RADM Marchiò was operating from the Italian frigate, Luigi Rizzo, as his task force commence counter piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden.
CMF’s CTF 151 and EUNAVFOR’s CTF 465 both operate in a contentious region which is home to a number of the world’s most strategic chokepoints, and piracy and armed robbery at sea remain a threat to merchant shipping in the region.
Both commanders agree that the size of the area is a challenge that can only overcome by effective cooperation, demonstrating the importance of the partnership shared by CMF and EUNAVFOR.
“There are many merits to coordinating exercises and military campaigns together; warships are able to operate efficiently together,” said RADM Riccardo Marchiò.
“The south west monsoon season continues in the region, with associated blustery weather and a high sea state. As the weather eases, it becomes more feasible for pirates to operate again,” said RADM Inanir, concluding the call. “CTF 151 and CTF 465 must be ready and alert to prevent them.”
Maritime security intelligence agencies have reported that the Water Phoenix reefer vessel was boarded Tuesday morning off Nigeria by an unknown number of persons and that two Russian nationals have been kidnapped.
Per Praesidium International, a risk consultancy and maritime security company, the incident happened at 5:50 a.m. UTC Tuesday, approximately 34 nautical miles south of Lagos.
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Source: marinelink.com
MarsecNews: The initial report from MDAT-GoG is as follows:
1. CATEGORY: BOARDING.
2. TIME: 08 Sep 2020 0550UTC.
3. DESCRIPTION: A MV was attacked by an unknown amount of persons. No additional information.
4. POSITION: 05°53N 003°17E (33 Nm southwest of Lagos).
Maritime Security News 