We cover piracy, armed robbery at sea, IUU fishing, maritime cyber security and maritime security issues.
Jakarta (VNA) – Indonesia plans to buy bigger vessels to allow its coast guards to travel across the ocean, notably the Natuna Sea off Riau Islands, and expand their patrol reach, local media reported.
The plan was announced after Indonesian Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto had reportedly bought frigates for the Indonesian Navy from Denmark.
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Source: en.vietnamplus.vn
The ReCAAP ISC has issued an incident alert after the abduction of eight crewmen from a fishing boat off Sabah, Malaysia.
The Philippine Coast Guard reported that six gunmen dressed in black suits with masks used a gray speedboat with twin engine (40 HP) to abducted the eight from the Malaysia-registered fishing trawler SSK 00543.
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Source: maritime-executive.com
MarsecNews: Ironically, following the rescue of the last Indonesian fishermen held by Abu Sayyaf Group terrorists last week, I was poised to warn that we should expect another kidnap operation in the coming days. It seems they beat me to it.
Following the attack on the oil tanker MT Duke and abduction of 20 crew members on December 15, U.K.-based shipowner Union Maritime has issued a statement confirming that 19 of the crew members have now been released.
One able seaman was evidently taken ill and died shortly after capture. Union Maritime said in a statement: “We are seeking further information from those crew members that have been released and a full investigation will be held into the AB’s demise.”
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Source: maritime-executive.com
The Islamic Revolution Guard Crops Navy announced that its forces have seized three trespassing Kuwaiti fishing boats off the coast of Mahshahr, Khuzestan province.
According to Captain Alireza Ahmadi, the commander of IRGC’s Imam Hassan fleet, the boats had illegally entered Iran’s territorial waters.
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Source: en.mehrnews.com
ZAMBOANGA CITY — Government troops rescued an Indonesian fisherman, the last captive of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) in the province of Sulu, a top military official said Thursday.
Lt. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana, Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom) chief, identified the rescued Indonesian fisherman as Muhammad Farhan, 27, who was rescued around 6:45 p.m. Wednesday in Barangay Bato-Bato, Indanan, Sulu.
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Source: pna.gov.ph
A Port Harcourt based seafarer, Onmonya Udeh, has appealed to the Federal Government to equip the Nigerian Navy and the Marine Police to tackle piracy in the nation’s waterways.
Udeh lamented that pirates were armed with more sophisticated weapons than the Navy and the Marine police, thereby posing serious threats to the lives of mariners and passengers.
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Source: thetidenewsonline.com
By Jung Da-min
Presidential Chief of Staff Noh Young-min said Thursday that the government could seek its own way to protect the lives and properties of Koreans in the Strait of Hormuz rather than participating in a U.S.-led naval coalition policing the region.
His remarks came amid Washington’s increasing pressure on Seoul to participate in the International Maritime Security Construct (IMSC), a coalition of countries including the United States, Saudi Arabia, the U.K. and Bahrain sending naval units to the area to safeguard navigation.
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Source: koreatimes.co.kr
The House of Representatives Committee on Ports and Harbours says it will soon organise a nationwide security summit to tackle acts of insecurity in the nation’s ports.
The committee also decried the spate of piracy in the nation’s waterways and abduction of crew members of vessels coming to Eastern ports.
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Source: thetidenewsonline.com
The Red Sea has been attracting an increasing amount of attention from Gulf states in recent years. Saudi Arabia and the UAE offered $3 billion in aid to Sudan following the ouster of former dictator Omar Al Bashir, and some states have intervened as part of the Combined Task Force off the coast of Somalia to help combat piracy in the area. Also just last week, this trend culminated in the creation of a special council for Arab and African nations bordering the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, at a conference held in Riyadh this month.
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Source: thenational.ae
SINGAPORE – Senior military leaders from Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia will meet on Wednesday (Jan 15) to discuss ways to combat the recent spike in sea robberies in the Singapore Strait.
The two-day 14th Malacca Straits Patrol Joint Coordinating Committee Meeting, hosted by the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN), will be co-chaired by representatives of the four littoral states, the Ministry of Defence (Mindef) said in a statement on Wednesday.
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Source: straitstimes.com
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