Oil bunkering: Navy hands over 57 Nigerians, 7 Sri-Lankans, 2 Ghanaians to EFCC

Ndubuisi Ugah

The war against oil bunkering and sea pirates received a major boost yesterday when the Nigerian Navy (NN) handed over 57 Nigerians, seven Sri- Lankans and two Ghanaians, suspected to be involved in oil bunkering, to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) also reports that the seven vessels, involved in the oil bunkering and having no valid approval, were arrested by the Nigerian Navy between December 3 and 30, 2019. While addressing journalists, after the handing over to the EFCC, the Commandant of NN ship, NNS BEECROFT, Commodore Ibrahim Shettima, said the nation would have lost N906,250, 000, if the culprits had been successful in their operation.

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Source: newtelegraphng.com

Royal Navy to protect British ships in the Strait of Hormuz as US-Iran tensions escalate

Jenn Selby

The Royal Navy has deployed ships to escort British fleets through the Strait of Hormuz as tensions continue to boil over in the Middle East following the US drone strike that killed Iran’s leading general.

The move to protect ships baring UK flags on the stretch of water between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman came as the Foreign Office issued warnings to citizens not to travel to affected regions.

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Source: inews.co.uk

Why Pirates Are Giving Up On Oil

By Julianne Geiger

Piracy in some of the world’s most critical oil chokepoints is on the rise–but now, pirates are resorting back to another method of income generation better suited to times of lower oil prices: taking human captives.

Sometimes, black market oil prices just aren’t lucrative enough. In the days of $100 oil, oil theft was a hot commodity. Today, pirates are supplementing their stolen oil income with ransomed sailors, creating a whole new set of problems for the oil industry to tackle.

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Source: oilprice.com

Four Dead, Three Kidnapped in Nigerian Pirate Attack

International maritime security consultancy Dryad Maritime reports that the Nigerian-flagged hopper dredger Ambika was boarded by pirates after a firefight resulting in multiple loss of life.

According to Dryad, the Ambika was attacked while operating just offshore, about three nm from the mouth of the Ramos river and about nine nm to the east of the Forcados offshore oil terminal. A firefight broke out between the embarked security team on the Ambika and the pirates.

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Source: maritime-executive.com

Riyadh Hosts Meeting of Red Sea Coastal States

Fatehelrahman Yousif

Foreign ministers of Red Sea coastal states are set to kick off meetings in Riyadh next week to promote cooperation and economic integration and to ensure maritime security along this international waterway.

The meeting is expected to tackle issues on the responsibility of Red Sea states to prevent the intervention of any foreign country in the affairs of this sensitive area.

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Source: aawsat.com

Shipping on alert as Iran vows revenge for deadly American drone strike

Iranian Navy ships in Velayat-90 military exercise, by Mohammad Sadegh Heydari via Wikipedia

Sam Chambers

Merchant shipping heading through Middle Eastern waters has been placed back on high alert over fears Iran may retaliate to American drone strikes earlier today that killed a top Iranian general.

Iran’s most powerful military commander, General Qasem Soleimani, was killed by a US air strike in Iraq at around 1am this morning.

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Source: splash247.com

Prepare for war, Lagos CP warns pirates, kidnappers

Taiwo Jimoh

Residents of Ilashe, Ibeshe, Irede, Irewe/Osolu, Igboologun and Takwa Bay in Oriade Local Council Development Area, Amuwo Odufin, Lagos State, may soon be able to sleep with their two eyes closed.

Policemen deployed to the newly constructed Area Command Headquarters have vowed to fight crime on the waterways in the area. The communities were hitherto known for notorious crimes such as oil bunkering, kidnapping and smuggling.

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Source: newtelegraphng.com

Asia Minute: Piracy Surges in Southeast Asia

By

2020 began with celebrations around the around the world. And as always, the Asia Pacific was the first region to ring in the New Year. But while fireworks an dparties marked the event — there’s also a ton of caution in one area for an unusual reason: pirates.

Pirates are making a bit of a comeback in one of the busiest commercial shipping ares of the world — in Southeast Asia. An industry group says the Strait of Malacca and the Strait of Singapore have experienced a rise in sea piracy in recent months, and a relative surge in 2019.

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Source: hawaiipublicradio.org

USCG: Cyberattack Penetrated Cargo Facility’s Operating Controls

In a marine safety bulletin issued in December, the U.S. Coast Guard warned the maritime community to harden defenses against phishing and cyberattacks after a new outbreak of encryption ransomware at a maritime facility.

In the bulletin, the USCG disclosed a recent virus attack at an unnamed Maritime Transportation Security Act (MTSA)-regulated facility. As the U.S. implementation of the ISPS code, the MTSA covers a wide range of maritime facilities, including barge fleeting areas, commercial ports and terminals. (In some tech industry news outlets, the attack has been misreported as a malware infection at a U.S. Coast Guard-operated facility.)

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Source: maritime-executive.com

57 crew kidnapped off West Africa in just one month

Sam Chambers

A total of 57 crew were kidnapped last month in and around the Gulf of Guinea, a similar figure to November with shipping now on high alert as the security situation in in West Africa has spun out of control.

The most recent kidnapping took place on December 30 with security consultants Ambrey reporting eight men were kidnapped from Eastern Mediterranean’s Happy Lady tanker, which has been at anchor for a number of weeks off Limbe in Cameroon. A Greek national was taken to hospital following the attack having been shot.

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Source: splash247.com