Commercial ships warned against using private armed security in the Gulf

Shipping associations issue advice after a series of attacks blamed on Iran

Shipping companies sailing through the Arabian Gulf are being urged to avoid having private armed security guards on board as the risk of escalation in the region rises.

Relations between Iran and the West have become increasingly strained after Britain seized an Iranian tanker in Gibraltar last week and London said its warship HMS Montrose had to fend off Iranian vessels seeking to block a British-owned tanker from passing through the Strait of Hormuz.

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Source: thenational.ae

Seafarers’ charity calls for increased cooperation to tackle piracy ahead of Sea Sunday

Seafarers’ charity Stella Maris (Apostleship of the Sea) has expressed concern over the effect that piracy continues to have on seafarers’ physical and mental wellbeing, ahead of Sea Sunday on July 14.

The charity has emphasised that seafarers’ safety and pastoral support remains paramount when their ships are targeted or attacked by pirates.

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Source: hellenicshippingnews.com

Sources in Iran Deny Reports of Seizing UK Oil Tanker

Informed sources in Iran have dismissed the fabricated news of the seizure of a British oil tanker in the Persian Gulf, IRIB News Agency reported.

Earlier in the day, certain journalists and observers tracked the movement of the UK-flagged supertanker ‘Pacific Voyager’ in the Persian Gulf, and reported that it has “suspiciously” come to a halt in the middle of the Persian Gulf.

The reports were also dismissed by a United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) official, who told Reuters the oil tanker was “safe and well”.

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Source: ifpnews.com

“Drakies” on Op Copper duty

SAS Drakensberg (A301) arrived on station in the northern sector of the Mozambique Channel this week for a duty tour that will see anti-piracy and anti-crime taskings executed.

This is not the first time the 32-year-old fleet replenishment ship has been deployed on Operation Copper, the ongoing bilateral anti-piracy operation involving Southern African Development Community (SADC) member states Mozambique and South Africa.

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Source: defenceweb.co.za

UAE: Not enough evidence to blame Gulf tanker attacks on Iran

‘If other countries have clear information, I am sure the international community will easily listen to them,’ says Emirati foreign minister on Wednesday

The United Arab Emirates Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan said on Wednesday that no country could be held responsible for the latest attacks on oil tankers in the Gulf.

Speaking during a press conference with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in Moscow, Al-Nahyan said his country needs “clear and convincing evidence” regarding the recent attacks that targeted four vessels off the UAE coast last month, including two Saudi oil tankers.

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Source: middleeasteye.net

Pompeo’s Hollow Plan to Beef Up Security in the Gulf

BY LARA SELIGMAN

Experts are skeptical that U.S. allies will get on board.

In the wake of alleged aggression from Iran in the Persian Gulf, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo rolled out a new plan this week, dubbed “Sentinel,” to recruit U.S. partners to help enhance security for ships traversing the Strait of Hormuz and other choke points.

But experts are skeptical that the United States can get allies in the Gulf, Europe, or Asia to shore up the resources needed to make a significant difference to the commercial vessels facing threats from Tehran in the world’s busiest shipping lanes.

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Source: foreignpolicy.com

Supporting Kenya’s coast guard

Senior officials from the newly established Kenya Coast Guard Services are undergoing training on coast guard functions at a national workshop in Mombasa, Kenya (24-28 June).

Fifteen participants are taking part in the training, which is using scenario development methodology and plenary discussions to highlight issues, identify insights and develop deeper understanding of effective ways to meet coastguard functions – with a view to enhancing maritime security in Kenya.

The training is organised by the United Kingdom and IMO, under the auspices of the Jeddah Amendment to the Djibouti Code of Conduct. It is supported by a joint team from the UK Maritime Coastguard Agency (MCA), Royal Navy International Defence Training (RNIDT), and facilitated by the British Peace Support Team Africa (BPST(A)) and IMO. Other international partners supporting the implementation of the Djibouti code of Conduct (Japan, Denmark and the International Committee of the Red Cross) are also in attendance and contributing to the discussions.

Source: imo.org

Trump Questions Need to Protect Persian Gulf Shipping

Questioning the longstanding American policy of defending maritime security in the Persian Gulf, President Donald Trump said Tuesday that the United States does not “need to be there” for merchant shipping in the region.

“China gets 91% of its Oil from the [Strait of Hormuz], Japan 62%, & many other countries likewise. So why are we protecting the shipping lanes for other countries (many years) for zero compensation. All of these countries should be protecting their own ships on what has always been a dangerous journey,” he wrote in a Twitter post on Tuesday morning. “We don’t even need to be there in that the U.S. has just become (by far) the largest producer of Energy anywhere in the world!”

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Source: maritime-executive.com

U.S. Launches Maritime Security Initiative for Strait of Hormuz

The United States is launching a new maritime security initiative for the Persian Gulf region to counter the threat of Iranian attacks on shipping, a State Department official told reporters Monday. During previous regional conflicts, the U.S. Navy has periodically provided escorts for merchant shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, but this effort would be multilateral, according to the official.

The new program, called Sentinel, would be implemented with both material assets and monetary contributions from participating nations. The participants have not yet been named, but the official said that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo would seek the support of Saudi Arabia on Monday during a visit to Jeddah.

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Source: maritime-executive.com

Maritime Piracy Warnings Issued by REMISC in Sana’a are not Legitimate, Says IMO

By Baibhav Mishra

Alerting the international maritime community on Monday, the IMO stated that warnings currently being issued from the email account of the Regional Maritime Information Sharing Centre (REMISC) in Sana’a, Yemen (infoex@remisc.org) are not legitimate.

Given the current situation in Yemen, the centre has not been able to provide updated piracy incident information, and has temporarily stopped its activities.

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Source: seanews.co.uk