We cover piracy, armed robbery at sea, IUU fishing, maritime cyber security and maritime security issues.
By Godfrey Bivbere
THE Nigerian Navy has said that the two fast patrol boats provided for it by the Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, for the patrol of the Lagos waterfront are no longer operational.
Disclosing this to Vanguard Maritime Report in the exclusive interview in his office, Flag Officer Commanding, FOC, West Naval Command, Rear Admiral Oladele Daji, said the boats were given to the Navy in 2013.
To continue reading, please click here.
Source: vanguardngr.com
Somalia is set to join the list of port States for the first time after it completed development of Somali shipping code. The development of the code will enable the country to discharge its responsibilities as flag, port and coastal state.
Maritime development in Somalia announced the completion of the shipping code early this week after six years of work, supported by International Maritime Organisation (IMO) and the United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM).
To continue reading, please click here.
Source: businessdailyafrica.com
A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos on Monday sentenced 15 oil thieves to three years imprisonment and ordered the forfeiture of two vessels along with 868.5 metric tonnes of crude oil to the Nigerian Government.
Justice Rilwan Aikawa found them guilty on all three counts and sentenced them to one-year in prison on each count, which will take effect from the day of their arrest.
To continue reading, please click here.
Source: saharareporters.com
Ali Rabee
The Yemeni government has reiterated its warnings against possible disastrous consequences of the explosion or spill at Safer offshore oil platform, which floats off Hodeidah’s northern Red Sea coast.
Information Minister Muammar al-Eryani has listed in a series of tweets the most disastrous consequences.
To continue reading, please click here.
Source: aawsat.com
By
The Nigerian Navy and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) said that it would strengthen its bond in order to put an end to movement of hard drugs and other related substances on the waterways.
The Director of Seaports Operations, (NDLEA) Mrs. Omolade Faboyede made this known when the agency visited the Western Naval Command (WNC). She said that findings had shown that a large volume of drugs coming into the country was through the sea, saying drug issues were not only a communal threat but a national threat.
To continue reading, please click here.
Source: leadership.ng
Somalia has sought assistance from the global anti-piracy forces to help it capture 43 boats from Pakistan and Iran that are conducting illegal fishing operations in the Horn of African nation’s waters.
The Somali Federal Government has accused the two countries of continuing illegal fishing in Somalia waters, warning the boats will be pursued and will be liable to pay heavy fines upon their capture.
To continue reading, please click here.
Source: somaliaffairs.com
Bethel Toby & Gift Tasie
An expert in the maritime industry, chief Ikechukwu Ollawa, has expressed worry over the increasing activities of sea pirates and robbery on the nation’s waterway.
Speaking with The Tide yesterday in Port Harcourt, Ollawa said most of the attacks were aimed at fishing trawlers, cargo vessels, oil tankers and service boats as well as passenger speed boats.
He noted with dismay that during such operations, lives and properties of law abiding citizens were lost, while businesses were truncated due to possible attack on trades and their goods.
To continue reading, please click here.
Source: thetidenewsonline.com
Today, Rear Admiral lgnacio Villanueva Serrano was appointed as new force commander for the EU naval operation Atalanta. His mandate will start on 17 March.
He will exercise command and control of all military forces in the Area of Operations during the 34th rotation, and will be responsible for the planning, orchestration and execution of tactical military activities.
Rear Admiral Villanueva Serrano, a Spanish national, will take command from Commodore José Vizinha Mirones. He previously held senior positions within the Spanish Maritime Forces (SPMAFOR), and was Commanding Officer of the Spanish Navy Air Wing. He also served at the headquarters of NATO’s Allied Command Operations as capability requirements and force planning officer, and in Pristina, Kosovo, working as peace observer and liaison officer between the NATO and UN missions in Kosovo.
The decision on Rear Admiral Villanueva Serrano’s appointment was adopted by the Council’s Political and Security Committee.
EU NAVFOR Operation Atalanta, contributes to the deterrence, prevention and repression of acts of piracy and armed robbery off the Somali coast. The operation is part of the EU’s comprehensive approach for a peaceful, stable and democratic Somalia.
The operation also protects vessels of the World Food Programme and other vulnerable shipping, monitors fishing activities off the coast of Somalia and supports other EU missions and programmes in the region.
The EU’s comprehensive approach to Somalia comprises diplomatic efforts, development support, humanitarian aid as well as engagement in the field of rule of law and law enforcement. It includes three complementary missions under the EU’s Common Security and Defence Policy: EU NAVFOR Operation Atalanta, EUCAP Somalia, enhancing Somalia’s maritime civilian law enforcement capacity and EUTM Somalia, providing political and strategic level military advice to the Somali authorities and contributing to the development of the Somali National Army (SNA)’s own training capacity.
Source: consilium.europa.eu
Regional efforts to enhance maritime security are dependent on good information sharing, through multi-agency National Maritime Information Sharing Centres. An IMO-led regional workshop on information sharing in the Western Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden ((3-5 March) brought together participants from 14 signatory States to the Djibouti Code of Conduct (DCoC) and its Jeddah Amendment, which aims to counter and suppress crime in the maritime domain.
Participants discussed how best to set up national maritime information sharing centres and agreed on the need to establish legal frameworks at national level, to ensure coordination and full participation of all agencies.
The workshop was organised following the establishment last year of a Working Group on Information Sharing. This was part of a plan of action adopted by States in the western Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden area to ensure better coordination of regional efforts to enhance maritime security. Recommendations from the workshop will be fed into the next Jeddah Amendment high-level workshop, scheduled to be held later this year.
The workshop was held at the Djibouti Regional Training Centre (DRTC), Djibouti, and attended by 24 participants from Comoros, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Jordan, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Saudi Arabia, Seychelles, Somalia, South Africa, Tanzania (United Republic of), and Yemen. The workshop was organized by IMO and supported by the United Kingdom, who provided technical experts. Funding came from a Japanese contribution to the DCoC Trust Fund to support training activities at the DRTC.
Source: imo.org
Combined Task Force 151 (CTF151) recently completed Focused Operation IKARUS (FO IKARUS) around the Somali Coast, the Horn of Africa and the Gulf of Aden, raising awareness of their presence in the area and ensuring information flow and coordination between CTF151’s headquarters, its ships and other agencies in the region.
The international operation was supported by partners including Djibouti, the French Marine Nationale, the Seychelles People’s Defence Force, the Japanese Navy, Spanish Navy and Republic of Korean (ROK) Navy.
Over a three day period, units conducted a boarding exercise, medical evacuation exercise and pattern of life data gathering. Units also engaged with the local merchant community through conducting friendly approaches and maritime awareness calls. These activities worked to successfully reassure legitimate mariners that CTF151 is constantly monitoring and patrolling to deter and disrupt piracy in the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden.
The activities were not limited solely to the units at sea; information gathering activities helped to develop the maritime picture, assisting Commanders’ understanding of the situation. United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) was busy gathering data and ensuring information flow across the units, whilst the Canadian satellite Unclassified Remote-Sensing Situational Awareness (URSA) was tasked with gathering data from space.
The main exercise serial was a simulated incident, with a merchant vessel boarded by pirates. The regional counter-piracy effort sprang into action. Two boarding teams from the ROK Navy and the Spanish Navy suppressed the threat and took back the ship. To make things a little more complex, a simulated casualty incident immediately ensued, testing the interoperability between units in the region. CMF successfully coordinated a helicopter lift for the “casualty” and arranged evacuation to a French Marine Nationale hospital in Djibouti.
Overall, FO IKARUS was a hugely successful exercise, acting as a deterrent against piracy by increasing CMF and other key regional partners’ visibility and exposure in the area of operations, and effectively testing every level of command, from the boarding parties to the CTF151 headquarters staff.
This was one of the final operations conducted by the Kuwait Navy, before they handed over command of CTF151 to the Japanese Maritime Self-Defence Force in February. The Japanese will command the mission to deter and disrupt maritime piracy in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean for the next four months.
Source: combinedmaritimeforces.com
Maritime Security News 