Joint War Committee amends GoG risk area

On Sunday 20th, the Joint War Committee reportedly amended its listed risk area within the Gulf of Guinea. Maritime kidnappings have been an ongoing issue for the Gulf of Guinea, particularly in the waters around Nigeria, although other nations have also been affected.

Dryad Global initially reported the new amendments, which are as follows:

a) On the west, from the coast of Togo 6° 06′ 45″ N,

b) high seas point 0° 40′ S, 3° 00′ E

c) and then east to Cape Lopez Peninsula, Gabon 0° 40′ S, 8° 42′ E

Following the money: The use of the hawala remittance system in the Yemen–Somalia arms trade

By Jay Bahadur

The ubiquity of small arms and light weapons (SALW) in Yemen, as well as centuries-old cultural and commercial ties with Somalia, has made Yemen the primary source for illicit arms among Somali importers. Consignments of small arms and ammunition from Yemen cross the Gulf of Aden in a matter of hours to the northern coast of Puntland, a semi-autonomous region in northern Somalia. The port city of Bosaso, Puntland’s largest city and commercial capital, is the financial epicentre of the illicit trade. Arms from Yemen fuel the ongoing civil conflict in Somalia, and many are believed to be transported on throughout the broader East Africa region.

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Source: globalinitiative.net

India joins Djibouti Code of Conduct as Observer

New Delhi [India], September 16 (ANI): India has joined the Djibouti Code of Conduct as Observer, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said here on Wednesday.

“India has joined the Djibouti Code of Conduct/ Jeddah Amendment, as Observer, following the high level meeting of the Djibouti Code of Conduct/ Jeddah Amendment (DCOC/JA) held virtually on August 26,” MEA said in a statement.

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Source: bignewsnetwork.com

NSCDC, Navy to partner on oil bunkering, vandalism fight

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

PMSA Recovers 2700 Kg Hashish, Arrest 8 Alleged Smugglers

Muhammad Irfan

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

Ghana, Nigeria, Others Join Heads To Rescue Kidnapped Koreans

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

The new danger zone for shipping covers 6000 kilometres

By Birger Nicolai

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

Court Jails Two Oil Thieves, Company In Port Harcourt

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

Combined Maritime Forces and EU NAVFOR discuss counter-piracy campaigns

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.”

Report: Reefer Ship Attacked Offshore Nigeria. Two Crew Members Kidnapped

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).