CTF-151 OUTLINE OF FO ‘KING CRAB’

INTRODUCTION

A CTF 151 led Counter Piracy Focused Operation ‘KING CRAB’, will be conducted from 23rd SEP to 26th SEP 2019. The purpose of this note is to inform military forces (EUNAVFOR, Independent Deployers), regional partners and maritime communities on planned activities in order to help their understanding and to bring about cooperation.
The area of operations will be the Gulf of Aden and Socotra Gap. Also CTF-151 will continue to operate along the northern coast of Somalia, providing opportunities for engagements with merchant communities and local mariners, increasing the understanding on Pattern of Life and exchanging information with partners. And merchant shipping is to be advised that during the period of Operation KING CRAB there will be increased military activities and conduct of Maritime Awareness Calls (MAC).

THE AIM OF OPERATION

Between 23rd to 26th SEP, CTF151 is to deploy increased assets in the focused areas, ENSURING a visible military presence at sea for deterring piracy action, MONITORING suspicious maritime activities involved in piracy, ENGAGING with merchant community for better relationship and reassuring, and UNDERSTANDING regional and local marine activities via POL collection and Friendly Approach.

POINT OF CONTACT

Plans Assistant (roknctf151n51@gmail.com) will act as the main a POC within CTF 151. For partners – military and civilian – interested in any of the outline activities, CTF151 battle watch captain (ctf151.bwo.rokn@gmail.com, +001 1 203 574 6393) will act as points of contact.

Contact Group On Piracy Might Be Extended To Include Gulf Of Guinea – Russian Envoy To UN

Faizan Hashmi

The geographic mandate of the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia (CGPCS) might be broadened to combat piracy in the Gulf of Guinea, Russia‘s Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Dmitry Polyanskiy said during UN Security Council consultations on the situation in the Central African region.

“Our country has had a positive experience in international efforts to fight piracy in the northwestern part of the Indian Ocean as part of the Contact Group on this fight off the coast of Somalia. We hope that this experience might be useful for resolving similar issues in the Gulf of Guinea, including in the context of possibly broadening the geographic mandate of the Contact Group to include the Gulf of Guinea,” Polyanskiy said on Tuesday.

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Source: urdupoint.com

Anti-piracy patrol targets Yemen fishermen

BySAEED AL-BATATI, QUSAYIR, YEMEN

A global anti-piracy task force deployed in the Arabian Sea to protect shipping lanes has engaged in invasive and violent searches and seizures of small Yemeni fishing vessels with apparent impunity, fishermen told Asia Times.

Multiple fishermen from Yemen’s southeastern province of Hadramout say international warships, most recently from the Indian navy, have targeted them in deep water and sometimes even in Yemen’s territorial waters. The perceived harassment has spread panic in fishing communities along the Yemeni coast, compelling many to shorten their voyages and others to abandon the profession entirely – some even taking up arms in the war.

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Source: asiatimes.com

Crew Of Pirates Captured By Spanish Soldiers

The crew of the frigate ‘Navarra’ has carried out the device in the framework of the Atalanta mission; the operation is still open.

Spanish soldiers of the Navarra frigate have intercepted a pirate vessel and captured the crew, which in the previous days had attacked two ships -one of them, Spanish-. The episode took place on the morning of this Tuesday in the waters of the Indian Ocean , in the framework of the Atalanta operation of the European Union to fight against piracy. The device has culminated with the release of a Yemeni fisherman who had been kidnapped for four days.

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Source: maritimeherald.com

Piracy attack off the coast of Somalia

On 21 April, fishing vessels FV Adria and FV Txori Argi were attacked by suspected pirates in the Indian Ocean, 280 NM off the coast of Somalia. The piracy attacks were thwarted, and the crew and vessels remained safe, thanks to the application of Best Management Practices (BMP) protection measures by the Masters, the crews and the private security teams embarked on both fishing vessels.

EU NAVFOR Somalia Operation Atalanta confirms these attacks. It is likely that the attacks were facilitated by a mothership, which was reportedly seized by armed men on 19 April off the central Somali Coast.

EU NAVFOR subsequently dispatched its Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance Aircrafts to search the area. In addition, EU NAVFOR flagship ESPS Navarra left the port in Mombasa in order to proceed into the area.

On 23 April, ESPS NAVARA successfully intercepted and boarded the dhow being used as a mothership.

The operation is still ongoing, and more details will be provided upon completion.
EU NAVFOR remains committed to deterring, preventing and suppressing piracy and emphasizes that the Maritime Industry must adhere to BMP measures in order to maximize the safety of the ship and their crews whilst transiting the high-risk area.

Source: eunavfor.eu

The United Kingdom lowers the European flag on Northwood

Maritime Security News note: This article has been automatically translated into English by Google. As such, errors may remain.

(B2) The European Union flag will be lowered at Northwood HQ. The United Kingdom loses control of the EU’s anti-piracy operation, which it has been commanding since the beginning, a good decade ago in December 2008. At issue: Brexit.

It will be effective March 29, 2019. And there, there is no postponement. Everything has already been decided and endorsed for several months already. The command returning to the Spaniards, with the French in support. Which is just a return of things. Since without Paris and Madrid, this operation would never have seen the day (Read: France and Spain decided to act on maritime piracy).

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Source: bruxelles2.eu

Piracy High Risk Area Boundaries Reduced In Indian Ocean

The Round Table of international shipping associations plus the Oil Companies International Marine Forum (OCIMF) have issued new advice to merchant ship operators about the boundaries, while emphasising that a serious threat from piracy still exists in the region.

The High Risk Area reflects the area where the threat from piracy exists, whilst recognising the ongoing containment of pirate attacks in the Indian Ocean. The industry group which has redefined the boundaries includes BIMCO, the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), INTERCARGO and INTERTANKO.

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Source: bunkerspot.com