We cover piracy, armed robbery at sea, IUU fishing, maritime cyber security and maritime security issues.
PHILIP NWOSU
The Nigerian Navy said it arrested over 80 vessels within the last three years for various maritime offences including oil theft.
The Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ette Ibas, disclosed this at the closing ceremony of the multi-national annual maritime exercise code-named OBANGAME EXPRESS 2019, saying that the vessels were arrested for various acts of maritime illegalities.
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Source: sunnewsonline.com
Nine Iranian nationals were arrested with 107.22 kilograms of heroin which were to be delivered to a drug dealer in Sri Lanka, in the seas off the Southern coast today (Mar 24).
The narcotic was packaged in 99 parcels and had been concealed in four sacks while being transported in a trawler, Police Spokesman S.P Ruwan Gunasekara said.
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Source: sundaytimes.lk
Reports state that a passenger boat was attacked by armed men around 30nm South of Calabar, Nigeria at 0600 LT. Seven armed robbers in one skiff approached the passenger/ro-ro ship and boarded her. They robbed passengers before making off with a reported five hostages.
I have additional details but am waiting for an official incident report before.
By Francis Wakefield
Government troops seized a speed boat used by the notorious Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) in the island of Simisa, Sulu on Wednesday, March 20, 2019.
A military report disclosed that the relentless and continuous joint operation conducted by the Marine Battalion Landing Team – 3, Naval Task Group/Philippine Marine Ready Force – Sulu, and Joint Task Force-Sulu resulted in the recovery of the speedboat believed to be the “get-away” vessel of the notorious Abu Sayyaf Group in the island of Simisa, Sulu.
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Source: news.mb.com.ph
Members of three key regional maritime security agreements*, which IMO has helped to establish, are undergoing training tackling maritime crime in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (10 – 28 March 2019).
Thirty participants from 24 countries** are learning theoretical and practical skills to deal with piracy/robbery against ships, drug trafficking, marine terrorism, weapons smuggling, human trafficking and more.
The course is organized by IMO and Saudi Arabia under the auspices of the Jeddah Amendment to Djibouti Code of Conduct and conducted by experts from the Saudi Arabia Border Guard, UNODC, INTERPOL and IMO.
The training is taking place at the Mohammed Bin Naif Academy for Maritime Science and Security Studies and is the first of three training workshops to be organized by IMO and the Saudi Border Guard in Jeddah during 2019 – with financial assistance from Saudi Arabia.
The series of workshops will enable participants from different regions to share ideas and best practices in order to promote maritime security.
* The Djibouti Code of Conduct; the West and Central Africa Code of conduct; and the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP)
** Bahrain, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Jordan, Kenya, Madagascar, Maldives, Mauritius, Mozambique, Myanmar, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Seychelles, Somalia, South Africa, the Sudan, Cape Verde, Sri Lanka, United Republic of Tanzania and Yemen.
Source: IMO.org
The 13th Governing Council Meeting of the ReCAAP ISC was held on 19 to 22 March 2019 in Singapore, hosted by the Singapore Government. The Council reviewed the activities of ReCAAP ISC in FY2018 and deliberated on its activities for FY2019 and beyond. On 22 March 2019, the Open Session was held with External Participants comprising representatives from three countries and 13 organisations.
The Council commended ReCAAP ISC on producing positive results in respect to its activities in FY2018 under the three pillars of its mission, i.e., information sharing, capacity building and cooperative arrangement.
The Council reviewed the progress of the implementation of the Roadmap for the Future of ReCAAP ISC and appreciated the continued progress as well as new initiatives ReCAAP ISC has made under the Roadmap as a Centre of Excellence for information sharing.
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Source: seanews.co.uk
By Odita Sunday, Jesutomi Akomolafe (Lagos), Kanayo Umeh, Sodiq Omolaoye (Abuja) and Ayodele Afolabi (Ado-Ekiti)
The Nigerian Navy (NN) is seeking better collaboration and understanding with maritime stakeholders for effective prosecution of pirates and sea robbers.
It said that lack of collaboration among relevant government agencies had been the reason why suspects are granted bail in court.
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Source: guardian.ng
Economic development in coastal communities will help stem the flow of illegal behavior.
By Jay Benson
Maritime insecurity in the Sulu and Celebes Seas is a persistent challenge. These waterways have recently been used to conduct incursions into Lahad Datu, orchestrate kidnap for ransom activities by militant groups such as Abu Sayyaf, and facilitate illegal wildlife trafficking. Governments in the Philippines, Indonesia, and Malaysia have responded with increased maritime enforcement capacity and presence, as well as enhanced international coordination. Although these are important efforts that need to be maintained, an exclusive focus on enforcement capacity risks ignoring an equally important facet of maritime insecurity: economic exclusion and inequality in coastal communities.
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Source: thediplomat.com
by Radhica De Silva
Cedros fishermen are calling for more patrols, saying Venezuelan pirates are attacking local fishermen in territorial waters.
A day after Minister of National Security Stuart Young visited Cedros, pirates accosted a group of fishermen off the Bonasse jetty and stole their nets. During an interview at Fullarton Beach on Monday, fisherman Raesh Ramdass said it was becoming impossible to fish in local waters because the Venezuelan pirates were operating openly at nights under the noses of the T&T Coast Guard. He said the pirates have moved out of the Venezuelan rivers and were looking for easy targets on the open seas.
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Source: guardian.co.tt
(Trinidad Guardian) Desperate to escape Venezuelan pirates, two kidnapped fishermen jumped off their abductors’ boat on Monday night and took their chances in the sea. Unfortunately, only one of them managed to make it home safely.
Bruised and traumatised Keyon Alexander, 29, of La Union Road, Erin, arrived home around 3 pm yesterday, less than 24 hours after he was kidnapped. He had spent the night swimming desperately and screaming for help from passing boats.
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Source: stabroeknews.com
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