Saudi Arabia Woos Horn of Africa States to Protect Red Sea, Gulf of Aden

By Mawahib Abdallatif

Saudi Arabia’s move to pool countries in the Horn of Africa into a co-operation council for the Red Sea and Gulf Aden suggests officials in Riyadh are desperate to pull the region from other Middle Eastern powers.

On January 6, Riyadh hosted several foreign ministers from the Horn countries to a meeting addressed by Saudi King Salman, where it was resolved that they will form the Council of Arab and African States on the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

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Source: allafrica.com

Purchased from China, 2 Warships Dock in Bangladeshi Port

Courtesy of ISPR, Bangladesh Defense Ministry

Kamran Reza Chowdhury

Two warships that Bangladesh purchased from China arrived in the South Asian nation on Thursday, officials said, less than three months after Dhaka confirmed it was negotiating to buy fighter jets and combat helicopters from the United States.

The frigates – renamed the Umar Farooq and the Abu Ubaidah – had been decommissioned by the Chinese navy and symbolically handed over to the Bangladeshi navy in China in December.

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Source: benarnews.org

Japan to go ahead with Mideast naval mission on Friday

Japanese Defense Minister Taro Kono will order Friday a destroyer and patrol planes of the Maritime Self-Defense Force to engage in an information-gathering mission in the Middle East, government sources said.

The mission, approved by the Cabinet late last year, is intended to help secure the safe passage of Japanese commercial ships through regional waters at a time when it remains uncertain a tense situation between the United States and Iran can be diffused.

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Source: english.kyodonews.net

Ghana starts construction of new naval base

Ghana’s president Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has officially launched construction of the country’s new naval base with a sod-turning ceremony.

Akufo-Addo said the base is part of the country’s efforts to improve maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea and protect the country’s oil and gas sector. Construction of the Forward Operating Base in Ezilinbo in the country’s Western Region began on 16 December 2019.

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Source: defenceweb.co.za

20 guards arrested over construction of illegal oil wells

By Eugene Agha

Twenty security officials securing the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) pipelines have been arrested for their alleged involvement in the construction of over 310 illegal oil wells for the purpose of syphoning petroleum products.

It was learnt that the guards arrested, including officials of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), are among those posted to secure NNPC pipelines that runs from Atlas Cove to Ejigbo and Mosimi depots both in Lagos and Ogun states.

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Source: dailytrust.com.ng

China, Pakistan deploy warships to the Middle East for security operations

Ridzwan Rahmat

Amid ongoing tensions between Tehran and Washington, China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) and the Pakistan Navy have deployed warships to undertake maritime security operations in the Middle East.

An official from Pakistan’s inter-services public relations office confirmed with Jane’s on 9 January that the Pakistan Navy has deployed a Zulfiquar (F-22P)-class guided-missile frigate for maritime security operations in the Persian Gulf, and the Gulf of Oman.

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Source: janes.com

Iran Tensions May Prompt S. Korea to Rethink US-led Patrols

The escalating U.S.-Iran conflict is complicating South Korea’s possible participation in a U.S.-led maritime coalition to protect international shipping in and near the Strait of Hormuz.

There are increasing calls in South Korea for the government to reject, or at least rethink, U.S. requests to join the force, amid fears South Koreans could get caught up in the violence.

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Source: newdelhitimes.com

Operation Sankalp: Indian Navy commences maritime security operations for merchant vessels in Strait of Hormuz

New Delhi: In wake of the deteriorating situation in the Middle East, India has launched a maritime security operation to promptly respond to the emergency situations for Indian sea vessels.

The Indian Navy on Wednesday said that they have commenced security operations called ‘Operation Sankalp’ in order to ensure safe passage of Indian Flag Vessels through the Strait of Hormuz.

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Source: timesnownews.com

Rise of pirates in the Caribbean

By Rinsy Xieng

While pirates are becoming rarer off the Horn of Africa, particularly in Somalia, since warships patrolled the area, the number of acts of piracy and robbery is steadily increasing, with a sharp upsurge in Caribbean. For example, 28 events were recorded in 2019 off the island of Grenada, compared to only 3 the previous year. In the West Indies, it is mainly pleasure boats that are targeted.

Boaters and merchant ships

Pirates no longer hesitate to board large vessels, such as merchant vessels, even though the palm goes back to the Gulf of Guinea, where almost a third of the attacks took place there according to the report of the MICA Center, the center of expertise French Maritime Safety, which has just published its annual report. In 2019, for example, the organization recorded 360 events related to piracy and robbery. This figure has been stable for four years but less than it was 10 years ago.

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Source: rci.fm

3 expatriates kidnapped by Niger Delta pirates regain freedom

Three expatriates kidnapped by suspected pirates along the creeks of Sigbene community, in Burutu council area of Delta state, have reportedly regained their freedom.

A joint security operation, which embarked on a manhunt for the suspects, was said to have effected their release.

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Source: shipsandports.com.ng