We cover piracy, armed robbery at sea, IUU fishing, maritime cyber security and maritime security issues.
DUBAI, Sept 18 (Reuters) – Iran will hold its annual military parade on Sept. 22 in the Gulf with 200 frigates of its elite Revolutionary Guards Corps, Iran Front Page reported on Wednesday, at a time of spiked tension between Tehran and Washington.
“Some 200 IRGC frigates will take part in a parade of military units in the Persian Gulf… on Sept. 22 to mark the beginning of Iran-Iraq in 1980,” the IFP cited military sources as saying.
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Source: yahoo.com
CAIRO (Reuters) – Saudi Arabia has joined an international maritime mission to protect commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and other areas, Saudi state media reported on Wednesday, citing an official source in the defense ministry.
The operation area for the International Maritime Security Construct covers the Strait of Hormuz, Bab al-Mandab, the Sea of Oman and the Arabian Gulf, the report said.
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Source: reuters.com
Reports come amid raised tensions after weekend attack on major Saudi oil installation
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have seized a vessel in the Gulf for allegedly smuggling 250,000 litres of diesel fuel to the United Arab Emirates, Iran’s semi-official news agency ISNA has reported.
“It was detained near Iran’s Greater Tunb island in the Persian Gulf … the crew have been handed over to legal authorities in the southern Hormozgan province,” ISNA said on Monday, without elaborating on the nationalities of the crewmen.
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Source: theguardian.com
Insurance and shipping leaders said specific targeting of UK and US crew by Iran has left the industry to grapple with escalating tensions between Tehran and the West.
Nick Busvine, a partner at the strategic intelligence firm Herminius, told The National the drive from Tehran to take British and American hostages while targeting commercial shipping in the Arabian Gulf “changes the game” for the insurance industry.
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Source: hellenicshippingnews.com
Iran seized a tugboat and detained its 12 Filipino crew members on suspicion of smuggling diesel fuel in the Persian Gulf, the semi-official ISNA news agency reported Saturday.
The U.S. Navy 5th Fleet was aware of the report but declined further comment, Cmdr. Joshua Frey, a spokesman, said. In Manila, the Philippines’ Department of Foreign Affairs said it was checking out the report.
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Israel has joined the American military coalition for maritime security in the Strait of Hormuz, according to Israeli foreign minister Yisrael Katz.
“It is an Israeli interest to stop Iranian entrenchment in the region and strengthen relationship with Gulf countries,” said Katz, as reported by the paper Yedioth Ahronoth. “Israel is part of the US-led coalition to protect trade routes in the Persian Gulf.”
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Source: maritime-executive.com
By Alexander Cornwell
DUBAI (Reuters) – China might escort Chinese commercial vessels in Gulf waters under a U.S. proposal for a maritime coalition to secure oil shipping lanes following attacks on tankers, its envoy to the United Arab Emirates said on Tuesday.
“If there happens to be a very unsafe situation we will consider having our navy escort our commercial vessels,” Ambassador Ni Jian told Reuters in Abu Dhabi.
“We are studying the U.S. proposal on Gulf escort arrangements,” China’s embassy later said in a text message.
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Source: euronews.com
By Jim Wilson
Three major international ocean shipping representative bodies — the International Chamber of Shipping, the Asian Shipowners’ Association and the European Community Shipowners’ Association — have called for the international community to stop the escalation of tensions in the Strait of Hormuz.
They also have called for the international community to fully respect international law.
“All countries should ensure the safe passage of merchant vessels by respecting the freedom of navigation enshrined in Article 87(1)a and the right of innocent passage defined in Article 19 of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea [UNCLOS],” the joint statement reads.
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Source: americanshipper.com
The Royal Navy will join a US-led taskforce to protect merchant ships travelling in the Gulf.
The move comes amid growing tensions between the two western powers and Iran over the shipping route in the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian forces seized British-flagged vessel Stena Impero last month, while the US has tightened sanctions on Iran.
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said the new maritime taskforce would give “reassurance for shipping”.
But it goes against plans laid out by his predecessor, Jeremy Hunt, for a European-led mission in the area.
The UK government confirmed last month that it would provide a Royal Navy escort, from warships HMS Duncan and HMS Montrose, for British-flagged ships passing through the strait.
The Ministry of Defence said the new mission would involve the same warships.
The US has also committed two warships to the mission, as well as aerial surveillance.
Washington has re-imposed – and latterly tightened – its own sanctions on Iran, after withdrawing from a 2015 deal to limit the country’s nuclear activities.
The UK and other European countries remain committed to the plan, but diplomatic tensions have been strained in recent months – increasing after the seizure of the Stena Impero.
Mr Raab said the UK’s decision to join the US-led mission did not change its commitment to the nuclear deal and that the government was working to “de-escalate the situation” in the Gulf.
Announcing the new mission, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said the UK was “determined to ensure shipping is protected from unlawful threats”.
He added: “Upholding international maritime law and freedom of passage is in all our interests.
“We are seeing, across our seas and oceans, too many incidents that seek to challenge such freedoms.”
Source: bbc.co.uk
UAE wholly endorses international efforts to safeguard vital maritime passage
A significant proportion of the global economy depends on the free flow of maritime traffic. The ships that navigate the waters of Arabian Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz carry one-third of the world’s petrochemical and energy needs — an essential artery that keeps oil pumping around the planet, powering industry, energy and global trade. The free movement of those ships is vital.
Simply put, the maritime trade in our regional waters cannot be interrupted. Those vessels are the lifeblood of commerce, trade and energy, and anyone who interferes in their safe passage or impedes their activities is a saboteur of the interests of all who depend on their cargoes. Yet sabotage and piracy now have reared their head, all thanks to the activities of the regime in Iran.
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Source: gulfnews.com
Maritime Security News 