Anti-piracy bill will combat maritime crime as sector creates 7,000 jobs

By Tope Templer Olaiya, Sulaimon Salau, Gloria Ehiaghe (Lagos) and Rotimi Agboluaje (Ibadan)

Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dakuku Peterside, has said the agency was taking strategic steps to deal with maritime piracy.

He disclosed that the anti-piracy bill, sponsored by NIMASA, has been passed by the National Assembly and as soon as it is signed into law, it would help tame piracy in and open up more opportunities in the sector.

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Source: guardian.ng

Brazilian Navy Participates in Training to Counter Crimes at Sea on the African Coast

Naval forces from 33 countries came together for exercise Obangame Express to work on countering piracy, drug trafficking, and illegal fishing, which are common in the Gulf of Guinea.

Andréa Barretto

The Brazilian Navy (MB, in Portuguese) participated in the multinational exercise Obangame Express, on the African Coast, for the sixth time. Since 2010, the training gathers naval forces from Africa, Europe, and the Americas. The objective is to boost regional cooperation and promote maritime domain awareness.

The African Coast faces issues such as drug, arms, and human trafficking; illegal fishing, and piracy. During the two-week exercise, Obangame also develops information sharing standards and vessel interdiction expertise, to counter illegal activities at sea.

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Source: dialogo-americas.com

*Brazilian Navy and Angolan Navy service members raise their country flags, on board the Brazilian ship Araguari, deployed for exercise Obangame Express 2019. (Photo: Brazilian Navy)*

Another Marine battalion to be deployed in Sulu

Jaime Laude

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Marines Corps (PMC) is sending another battalion to Sulu to help in the operations against Abu Sayyaf bandits in the province and nearby areas.

Capt. Felix Serapio Jr., PMC spokesman, said the 8th Marine Battalion Landing Team (MBLT-8) is ready for deployment in Sulu after a nine-month training in Manila.

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Source: philstar.com

Nigerian piracy levels deemed ‘unacceptable’, international solutions sought

SAM CHAMBERS

Some of shipping’s top stakeholders met on Friday at the London headquarters of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to demand action to counter the dire piracy situation off the Gulf of Guinea, which is causing severe distress for seafarers who have to transit the region.

The event, co-sponsored by BIMCO, IMCA, ICS, ITF and OCIMF, drew members of the shipping community, flag states and agencies from the Gulf of Guinea.

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Source: splash247.com

3 ‘Abu Sayyaf members’ nabbed in Zamboanga City

By Teofilo Garcia, Jr.

ZAMBOANGA CITY — Police arrested Wednesday three members of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) in this southern port city.

The Police Regional Office-9 (PRO-9) identified the arrested ASG members as Jamik Ibrahim, Majuk Amil, and Hasim Aming. Ibrahim and Amil were arrested in Barangay Arena Blanco, while Aming in Magay, Barangay Zone 1.

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Source: pna.gov.ph

Piracy: India bars seafarers from working on Nigerian waters

Anna Okon

Following the increasing rate of piracy and hijacking of the crew for ransom in Nigerian waters, especially in the Gulf of Guinea, Indian Directorate General of Shipping in Mumbai, has issued a restriction on all seafarers who are Indian nationals, banning them from working in vessels in Nigeria and the Gulf of Guinea.

In a circular sent to all shipping owners, shipping companies and other practitioners which was signed by the Director-General of Shipping in India, Capt Anish Joseph, the state reportedly observed that there was an increasing trend in the number of incidents taking place inside the various coastal states jurisdiction in the GoG.

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Source: punchng.com

Fmr Abu Sayyaf hostage blames Dutch man’s death on lack of gov’t effort

By Janene Pieters

Ewold Horn‘s death in the Philippines can be blamed on the Dutch government, according to Warren Rodwell from Australia, a former hostage of terrorist movement Abu Sayyaf. The fact that the 54-year-old Dutch man was still a hostage of Abu Sayyaf after seven years shows that the Dutch government did not put enough effort into getting him released, Rodwell said to Dagblad van het Noorden.

Horn was abducted by members of Abu Sayyaf during a bird watching trip on the Philippine islands in 2012. He was shot dead on Friday when he tried to escape during a firefight between the terrorist group and Philippine government forces.

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Source: nltimes.nl

Oil rig worker kidnapped in Nigeria has been freed after a month

Emma Yeomans

A Scottish oil worker held captive in Nigeria has been freed a month after armed men stormed his rig.

John Hiddleston, 65, was working on a rig in the Delta region when gunmen dragged him and two others, a Canadian and a Nigerian, into a swamp.

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Source: thetimes.co.uk

Navy Recruits 1,176 To Fight Sea Pirates

The Nigerian Navy has recruited 1,176 young men and women to aid the fight against sea pirates and oil bunkers in the nation’s maritime domain.

The Chief of Defence Staff, General Abayomi Olonisakin, stated this in a statement made available to The Tide shortly after the passing out parade of Batch 28, Basic Training School in Onne. He said the trainees underwent rigorous physical and mental training for seven months to prepare them for internal security operations across the country.

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Source: thetidenewsonline.com

AFP to deploy 1st Brigade Combat Team in Sulu for anti-ASG ops

By Priam Nepomuceno

MANILA — The military will deploy the 1st Brigade Combat Team (1BCT) to Sulu in line with ongoing efforts to neutralize the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) terrorists.

“Now that the election period is over and national candidates have been proclaimed, we are redeploying forces to security challenged areas like Sulu Archipelago for focused military operations,” Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) spokesperson, Marine Brig. Gen. Edgard Arevalo said in an interview with reporters Thursday.

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Source: pna.gov.ph