Tug and barge attacked twice in Singapore Strait

by Martyn Wingrove

Pirates attacked tugboat Kim Hock Tug 9 and barge LKH 2882 twice in five hours on 18 January in the eastbound lane of the Traffic Separation Scheme in the Singapore Strait.

This unit was enroute from Vietnam to Singapore with scrap metal cargo when it was attacked at 1129 hrs north of Pulau Batam, Indonesia. The incident was broken up when another tug, Kim Hock Virgo approached, forcing the perpetrators to flee in two or three sampans.

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Source: rivieramm.com

S. Korea to send troops to Hormuz Strait independently to safeguard people, vessels

SEOUL, Jan. 21 (Yonhap) — South Korea will dispatch troops to the Strait of Hormuz by expanding operational areas of its anti-piracy unit deployed nearby to help protect its vessels passing through the strategic waterway, the defense ministry announced Tuesday.

The forces, however, will not join a U.S.-led coalition, but conduct independent operations, the ministry noted, apparently in consideration of relations with Tehran and Washington’s request for contribution to its campaign to secure the waters off Iran.

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Source: en.yna.co.kr

Eight Countries Back European-Led Naval Mission In Strait Of Hormuz

Eight European Union member states have given their support for a European-led maritime surveillance mission in the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic route for world oil supplies.

Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, and Portugal backed the new force, they said in a “political statement” issued by France’s Foreign Ministry on January 20.

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Source: rferl.org

Indonesia calls out Malaysia for ‘ineffective’ security following fresh kidnappings

By Apriza Pinandita and Dian Septiari

JAKARTA (The Jakarta Post/ANN): The government has lambasted the “ineffective coordination” of Malaysian authorities following the abduction of five Indonesian fishermen last week in waters off Sabah, the latest incident to underscore the lack of security in the tri-border area between Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines.

Six members from a faction of the notorious Abu Sayyaf militant group abducted on Thursday five Indonesian fishermen from their trawler in Sabah’s easternmost waters off Lahad Datu, about 10 minutes from the Tawi-Tawi chain of islands in the southern Philippines.

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Source: thestar.com.my

Indonesia plans to buy bigger ships for coast guard

Jakarta (VNA) – Indonesia plans to buy bigger vessels to allow its coast guards to travel across the ocean, notably the Natuna Sea off Riau Islands, and expand their patrol reach, local media reported.

The plan was announced after Indonesian Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto had reportedly bought frigates for the Indonesian Navy from Denmark.

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Source: en.vietnamplus.vn

Eight Abducted from Trawler Off Sabah

The ReCAAP ISC has issued an incident alert after the abduction of eight crewmen from a fishing boat off Sabah, Malaysia.

The Philippine Coast Guard reported that six gunmen dressed in black suits with masks used a gray speedboat with twin engine (40 HP) to abducted the eight from the Malaysia-registered fishing trawler SSK 00543.

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Source: maritime-executive.com

MarsecNews: Ironically, following the rescue of the last Indonesian fishermen held by Abu Sayyaf Group terrorists last week, I was poised to warn that we should expect another kidnap operation in the coming days. It seems they beat me to it.

Iran seizes 3 trespassing Kuwaiti fishing boats, arrests crew

The Islamic Revolution Guard Crops Navy announced that its forces have seized three trespassing Kuwaiti fishing boats off the coast of Mahshahr, Khuzestan province.

According to Captain Alireza Ahmadi, the commander of IRGC’s Imam Hassan fleet, the boats had illegally entered Iran’s territorial waters.

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Source: en.mehrnews.com

Troops rescue Abu Sayyaf’s last captive

By Teofilo Garcia, Jr.

ZAMBOANGA CITY — Government troops rescued an Indonesian fisherman, the last captive of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) in the province of Sulu, a top military official said Thursday.

Lt. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana, Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom) chief, identified the rescued Indonesian fisherman as Muhammad Farhan, 27, who was rescued around 6:45 p.m. Wednesday in Barangay Bato-Bato, Indanan, Sulu.

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Source: pna.gov.ph

A military nurse goes over the medical chart of Muhammad Farhan, an Indonesian fisherman, who was rescued Wednesday (Jan. 15, 2020) by government troops in an intelligence-driven operation in Indanan, Sulu. He is the last known captive of the bandit group. (Photo courtesy of Western Mindanao Command Public Information Office)

Seoul exploring own way to contribute security in Hormuz

By Jung Da-min

Presidential Chief of Staff Noh Young-min said Thursday that the government could seek its own way to protect the lives and properties of Koreans in the Strait of Hormuz rather than participating in a U.S.-led naval coalition policing the region.

His remarks came amid Washington’s increasing pressure on Seoul to participate in the International Maritime Security Construct (IMSC), a coalition of countries including the United States, Saudi Arabia, the U.K. and Bahrain sending naval units to the area to safeguard navigation.

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Source: koreatimes.co.kr

New Red Sea alliance borne out of urgent necessity

Albadr Alshateri

The Red Sea has been attracting an increasing amount of attention from Gulf states in recent years. Saudi Arabia and the UAE offered $3 billion in aid to Sudan following the ouster of former dictator Omar Al Bashir, and some states have intervened as part of the Combined Task Force off the coast of Somalia to help combat piracy in the area. Also just last week, this trend culminated in the creation of a special council for Arab and African nations bordering the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, at a conference held in Riyadh this month.

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Source: thenational.ae