Nigeria Loses N.522bn in 28,349 Oil Spills

By Michael Eboh

Nigeria lost N522.2million through 28,349.72 barrels of crude oil spilled into the environment by oil and gas companies in 2019. The National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency, NOSDRA, disclosed this in a data obtained by Vanguard.

A barrel of crude oil is equal to 158.99 litres of the commodity, meaning that at 28,349.72 barrels, 4.507 million litres of crude oil was spilled into the environment in 2019, with the attendant environmental challenges.

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Source: allafrica.com

International Chamber of Shipping expresses concern at increasing attacks on ships crews

International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) says the number of ship’s crewmembers being kidnapped in the Gulf of Guinea increased by more than 50% in 2019 and this year has begun with a further escalation of violence, armed robbery and kidnaping. The crisis is deepening – pirates are bolder and taking greater number of hostages. Levels of violence are high, and deaths have occurred both during attacks and during captivity of seafarers and military personnel. This is not business as usual. For example, 20 crewmembers were kidnapped from the MT Duke on 15 December last year with one of those crewmembers dying in captivity – this not acceptable.

Over 90% of global kidnappings reported at sea took place in the Gulf of Guinea. It remains an uncomfortable fact that the vast majority of attacks are launched on shipping from within Nigerian territorial waters. We recognise that Nigeria is improving its maritime security capability through programmes such as the Deep Blue Project and ICS applauds and encourages these measures. However, now is the time to see real results in terms of action at sea and in the capture and prosecution of pirates.

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Source: en.portnews.ru

Ivorian security forces confiscate $40 million worth of cocaine

Ishioma Emi

Security forces in Ivory Coast have confiscated $40 million of cocaine in the country’s coastlines. This seizure, which occurred on Tuesday, 4th of February 2020, is the biggest the country has ever recorded.

Communication Advisor, Yves Zogbo Jr, stated that “security forces launched a maritime operation to seize 411 kilograms of cocaine on the high seas.” The cargo is believed to have arrived as a single consignment from Brazil before being transferred onto three smaller boats, he said.

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Source: venturesafrica.com

Curfew in ESSZone extended to Feb 20

KOTA KINABALU: The curfew in the waters off seven districts in the Eastern Sabah Security Zone (ESSZone) which ends tomorrow has been extended until Feb 20.

Sabah Police Commissioner Datuk Omar Mammah in a statement yesterday said the curfew from 6 pm until 6 am covered the waters of Tawau, Semporna, Kunak, Lahad Datu, Kinabatangan, Sandakan and Beluran.

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Source: https://www.theborneopost.com

181 drums of petrol seized as Navy intercepts ‘smugglers’ in Calabar

Nsa Gill

The Nigerian Navy has intercepted suspected smugglers on the Cross River State waterways, with 692 bags of foreign rice and 181 drums of Premium Motor Spirit or petrol.

Five suspects arrested aboard four boats on two separate occasions are all Nigerians: Clement Okon Chali, Michael Ita Effiong, Felix Sunday, Aniefiok Effiong and Sunday Etim Bassey.

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Source: thenationonlineng.net

BIMCO boss hits out at Nigerian piracy status quo

Sam Chambers

The departing CEO of international shipowning organisation BIMCO has hit out at Nigerian authorities’ complete failure to rein in the horrendous piracy situation in West Africa.

In a note to members entitled ‘We must speak the truth about Gulf of Guinea’ Angus Frew wrote: “In the past year, the complete absence of effective law enforcement against Nigerian pirates has allowed them to operate largely with impunity in the Gulf of Guinea and we must conclude that the current capacity building initiatives have had no effect whatsoever.”

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Source: splash247.com

Suspected Abu Sayyaf gunmen kidnap Filipino doctor in southern Philippines

MANILA, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) — Suspected Abu Sayyaf gunmen have abducted a Filipino doctor in the remote Jolo town in Sulu Province in the southern Philippines, the military said on Wednesday.

Lieutenant General Cirilito Sobejana, commander of the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ Western Mindanao Command, said the kidnapping of the victim, Daniel Moreno, brings to six the number of hostages being kept by the kidnap-for-ransom group.

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Source: http://www.china.org.cn

Maritime Security Task Force plans to restructure amid rise in piracy in Singapore Strait

Republic of Singapore Navy mine countermeasures vessels RSS Katong (M107) and RSS Bedok (M105) at Changi Naval Base, Singapore, via Wikipedia

Fabian Koh

SINGAPORE – The Maritime Security Task Force (MSTF) plans to restructure to deal with piracy at sea, including beefing up its assets, Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said on Monday (Feb 3).

“That review is expected to be complete in the next few months,” he said in a written reply to a parliamentary question by Mr Christopher de Souza (Holland-Bukit Timah GRC).

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Source: straitstimes.com

Maritime security structure for launch before June, says Amaechi

By Benjamin Alade and Sulaiman Salau

[Nigeria’s] Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has said the new Maritime Security Infrastructure will be launched before June. The minister, who spoke on a national television broadcast yesterday, decried the insecurity challenges in the maritime sector, and promised that with the new security infrastructure, the problem would be solved.

“Between now and June, we should be launching. We have assured Nigerians that we will secure our waterways. Those who make money from the maritime security challenges are already battling us. We are ready for the battle, and the president (Muhammadu Buhari) is behind us.

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Source: guardian.ng

Singapore Says Pirates Come from Elsewhere

Responding to questions in Parliament, Singapore’s Minister for Defence Dr. Ng Eng Hen has indicated that the pirates responsible for recent incidents in the Singapore Strait are not from Singapore.

Ng says the number of piracy and sea robbery incidents occurring in the Singapore Strait fluctuates considerably from year to year. For example in 2014, 2015 and 2019 there were 48, 104 and 31 such incidents. But in the remaining years over the last decade, the average was around 12.

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Source: maritime-executive.com