Turkish Suezmax tanker attacked in Gulf of Guinea?

Vessel was attacked at around 0700 UTC Dec 24 in Gulf of Guinea, 220 nm southwest of Bonny, Nigeria. Available information point at Suezmax crude oil tanker ISTANBUL, but ship’s identity not yet confirmed. No other information available at the moment, awaiting ship’s ID confirmation and details.

Tanker is en route from Bonny OPL to Rotterdam (understood in load), since 0700 UTC she turned hard portside and as of 0800 UTC, was steaming south.

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Source: maritimebulletin.net

Pirates release 19 crew kidnapped from Nave Constellation

The 19 seafarers kidnapped by pirates from the VLCC Nave Constellation off Nigeria have been released.

Owners Navios Maritime Acquisition Corporation and managers, Anglo-Eastern Tanker Management said that the 19 crew, 18 Indian nationals and one Turkish national, kidnapped on 3 December were released on Saturday, 21 December.

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Source: seatrade-maritime.com

Pirates kill one, kidnap four in Gabon capital attack

Pirates attacked four ships in Libreville harbour, government spokesman says.

A Gabonese captain was killed and four Chinese sailors abducted on Saturday in Gabon’s capital, Libreville, following an attack by pirates in the city’s harbour, the government has said.

“Pirate attacks were perpetrated … against four ships,” government spokesman Edgard Anicet Mboumbou Miyakou said on Sunday.

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Source: aljazeera.com

Police kill 4 sea pirates on Delta waterways

Ben Dunno

Four members of a notorious sea pirates that specialised in ambushing passenger boats conveying mostly traders along the Izon-Burutu waterways were yesterday shot dead by mobile police escort team attached to Delta State Government Waterways Security.

Investigations revealed that the gang had in the early hours of the day hijacked a full load passenger boat headed to Burutu from Warri and dispossessed all the passengers of their goods, cash and personal belongings.

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Source: sunnewsonline.com

We’re engaging security agencies to secure waterways – NIWA

The Managing Director of the Nigeria Inland Waterway Authority (NIWA) Dr George Muoghalu, said the authority is engaging security agencies, especially the Nigerian Navy to play the expected role of ensuring that the waterways are secured and safe for use.

He also said the Authority was working hard to ensure that the 10000 kilometers waterways are all year round navigated.

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Source: dailytrust.com.ng

Boat Drivers Want Navy, Marine Police On Rivers Waterways

Bakana Boat Drivers Union, an umbrella body of boat operators in Degema Local Government Area of Rivers state, has called on the state government to deploy Navy and Marine police to waterways as a way of curbing sea piracy in the state.

Chairman of the union, Alabo Benson Yellow, made the appeal while speaking to newsmen in Port Harcourt on the recent boat attack that led to the killing of three passengers at Bille Jetty by pirates, at the weekend.

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Source: thetidenewsonline.com

Sea robbers unleash terror on Bonny, Okrika, Ogoni waterways

By Tola Adenubi

N the last one month, sea robbers have unleashed terror on passenger speed boats plying the Bonny, Okrika, Bille, Andoni, Kula and Ogoni river waterways in Rivers State, killing security operatives in the process and carting away personal belongings of boat passengers, including taking away boat engines during such attacks.

Disclosing this to Tribune Online on Wednesday via telephone interview, a member of the Trustee of the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN), Comrade Harry White wondered what has happened to gunboats that were recently procured by the Rivers State government to tackle maritime crimes.

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Source: tribuneonlineng.com

Navy arrests suspected smugglers, seizes 1,072 bags of rice, others

By Inemesit Akpan-Nsoh

The Nigerian Navy (NN), Forward Operating Base (FOB), Ibaka, in Mbo Local Council of Akwa Ibom State, has vowed to take the fight against smuggling in the riverine area of the state to the communities.Commanding Officer, FOB, Captain Peter Yilme, stated this yesterday while parading suspected smugglers before journalists in Ibaka.

According to him, this new approach would mean the operating base liaising with the communities to fish out the perpetrators before they venture into the sea for the illegal trade.Yilme, who spoke while parading 12 suspected smugglers, 1,072 bags of 50kg smuggled rice and two wooden boats seized from them, said their arrests were made in two different operations, and that the Navy was determined to end smuggling on the waterways.

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Source: guardian.ng

Navy combs Niger Delta creeks to rescue Turkish sailors

Olaleye Aluko

The Nigerian Navy said on Thursday that it had deployed all its units in the creeks and backwaters of Niger Delta to rescue 10 abducted Turkish sailors on MV Paksoy 1 vessel attacked by pirates.

The navy said the vessel was intercepted around 8.30am on Monday by the Ghana Navy Ship, EHWOR, and escorted to the Tema Port in Ghana. The Navy Director of Information, Commodore Suleman Dahun, stated these in a statement on Thursday.

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Source: punchng.com

Navy: Fighting crime within the waterways

Philip Nwosu

In 2015, the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas launched the force’s strategic directive 2015-1, aimed at providing security in the maritime sector, ensure effective monitoring of the nation’s waterways and sustain its effort to maintain credible presence at sea.

After four years, the Nigerian Navy says it has been able to effectively police the nation’s waterways and ensure that the maritime sector is safe.

According to the Nigerian Navy, it has impounded and destroyed illegally refined crude oil valued at N8.4 billion between January and June 2019. The navy has destroyed and impounded 131,085.06 barrels of crude oil and about 29,612,202 litres of illegally refined products during its anti-crude oil theft campaign. It also destroyed 227 illegal refineries, 2,688 storage facilities, 364 wooden boats and impounded 11 barges and 32 vessels.

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Source: sunnewsonline.com