We cover piracy, armed robbery at sea, IUU fishing, maritime cyber security and maritime security issues.
What Happened: A wave of persistent and sophisticated attacks against Nigeria’s Nembe Creek Trunkline pipeline has severely affected the operating firm’s ability to transport and export oil, according to a company spokesman, Sweet Crude Exports reported Nov. 17. He added that the pipeline has been shut down for 61 days so far in 2019 and that total losses over the year amounted to nearly 2 million barrels of oil.
To continue reading, please click here.
Source: worldview.stratfor.com
By Dirk Siebels
The Bonita had been anchored off Benin for several days, waiting for a berth in the port of Cotonou. On November 2, 2019 the crew had a traumatic awakening. Armed men boarded the vessel and kidnapped nine crew members. Only two days later, four seafarers were kidnapped from the Elka Aristotle, which was anchored off Lomé in neighbouring Togo.
Unfortunately, these were not the only attacks off the coast of West Africa in which seafarers were kidnapped. Nevertheless, the patterns are changing, with gradual signs of improvement. In addition, attacker success rates in the region have declined from 80% over ten years ago to just under 50% in 2018.
To continue reading (and you should, because Dirk knows this subject), please click here.
Source: econotimes.com
By Yinka Ibukun
West African states’ failure to coordinate their response to piracy off their coastline is the main reason attacks are persisting, Togolese President Faure Gnassingbe said.
Seaborne assailants boarded two vessels off the coast of Togo and neighboring Benin earlier this month.
To continue reading, please click here.
Source: bloomberg.com
Marje Pelayo
MANILA, Philippines – Backdoor entry through the Philippines southern border has made the country susceptible to threats from foreign terrorists.
Thus, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has been working with its neighboring countries Indonesia and Malaysia to further strengthen its border security.
To continue reading, please click here.
Source: untvweb.com
By Kingsley Jeremiah
Though the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and some International Oil Companies (IOCs) operating in the country stake as much as N350.4b for staff and asset protecting yearly, the nation is still losing over N1.6t to oil and gas theft every year.
Indeed, stakeholders in the sector are pointing accusing fingers at the nation’s military and a network of politically exposed individuals as being behind the growing losses of crude and refined petroleum products estimated at $42b (N15t) in the past 10 years.
To continue reading, please click here.
Source: guardian.ng
ABUJA (Reuters) – Nigeria and neighboring countries Benin and Niger have agreed to set up a joint border patrol force to tackle smuggling between the West African countries, they said in a communique on Thursday.
Foreign ministers from the three countries met to discuss smuggling following a decision by regional giant Nigeria, which has Africa’s largest economy and biggest population, to close its land borders to trade until at least Jan. 31, 2020.
To continue reading, please click here.
Source: reuters.com
By Precious Igbonwelundu
The Nigerian Navy (NN) on Thursday said drones and helicopters have been deployed for surveillance of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) pipelines from Atlas Cove, Apapa to Ejigbo and Mosimi depots in Lagos and Ogun states.
This deployment, the service said, was to beat pipeline vandals who loot petroleum products from ruptured pipes and then find ways to smuggle them out of the country.
To continue reading, please click here.
Source: thenationonlineng.net
Multi agency cooperation remains the only way to address maritime crimes as it sends a strong and unified message to pirates and other organized criminals to cease their illegal trade.
Speaking during a Regional meeting on “Capacity Building Coordination for Enhanced Maritime Security in the West Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden and Donor Forum”at a Mombasa hotel, defense Cabinet Secretary Raychelle Omamo said progress has been made to enhance Maritime domain awareness through multi agency collaboration.
“I have observed directly the benefits that have accrued from the Maritime code of conduct appended in Djibouti by member states geared towards near eradication of piracy,” said Omamo.
To continue reading, please click here.
Source: kbc.co.ke
INCIDENTS OF PIRACY AND ARMED ROBBERY AGAINST SHIPS IN ASIA IN OCTOBER 2019
A total of seven incidents of armed robbery against ships1 were reported in Asia in October 2019. No piracy2 incident was reported. There were also no reports of abduction of crew in the Sulu-Celebes Seas and waters off Eastern Sabah; and no hijacking of ships for theft of oil cargo reported in October 2019. However, the abduction of crew for ransom in the Sulu-Celebes Seas and waters off Eastern Sabah remains a serious concern. The ReCAAP ISC is also concerned about the increase in the number of incidents reported on board ships while underway in the Singapore Strait.
To read the entire report, please click here.
Source: recaap.org
The Senate on Wednesday called on Nigeria’s maritime agency to quickly fast-track the implementation of the Deep Blue Sea Project for the protection of Nigeria’s waterways to combat the menace of pirates and armed bandits.
This resolution was a sequel to a motion titled “urgent need to address the menace of piracy and banditry in the Gulf of Guinea and Nigeria’s internal waters.”
The Senate also urged the federal government to deploy more naval personnel on the Oron coastal area to check the activities of pirates and bandits.
To continue reading, please click here.
Source: channelstv.com
Maritime Security News 