Yemen’s Houthi rebels seize vessel in Red Sea

‘Attack’ on ship towing South Korean drilling rig threatens vital shipping routes, Saudi spokesman says.

The Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen said Iran-aligned Houthi rebels hijacked a vessel south of the Red Sea.

Saudi Arabia‘s state-run Saudi Press Agency quoted coalition spokesman Colonel Turki al-Malki as saying on Monday that Houthis seized the ship while it was towing a South Korean oil drilling rig on Sunday.

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Source: aljazeera.com

MaritimeSecurityNews: This is a significant roll of the dice by al Houthi rebels. As war weariness sets in on both sides, it has been suggested that this incident is an attempt by Houthis to show Saudi Arabia how difficult it can still make life for them. South Korean media outlets have suggested that three vessels were hijacked/seized by Houthi rebels and have dispatched their anti-piracy Cheonghae unit to the region, which will focus minds in Yemen, given their reputation.

Maritime security in the Red Sea remains perilous, with Iran reporting attacks which are unverified independently and the ongoing threat posed by Houthi naval mines and SVBIEDs. A persistent threat to a major shipping lane will not go unchallenged by other countries in the region as well as the USA. I hope the al Houthis appreciate just how risky this gamble may prove to be. Image below via OCEANUSLive.org, who carry the initial UKMTO report.

Exercise Naseem Bahr: Joint naval drill between India and Oman to focus on maritime security and anti-piracy

By: Huma Siddiqui

India and Oman will conduct the 12th edition of bilateral maritime exercise ‘Naseem Al Bahr’ in the Arabian Sea next month, as both countries are aiming to further increase interoperability between the two navies and enhance maritime security.

The scope of Naseem Al Bahr this year will include besides professional interactions, operational activities at sea across the spectrum of maritime operations.

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Source: financialexpress.com

Pirates Thriving Off West Africa Show Disunity, Togo Leader Says

By Yinka Ibukun

West African states’ failure to coordinate their response to piracy off their coastline is the main reason attacks are persisting, Togolese President Faure Gnassingbe said.

Seaborne assailants boarded two vessels off the coast of Togo and neighboring Benin earlier this month.

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Source: bloomberg.com

PH strengthens border security with Indonesia, Malaysia

Marje Pelayo

MANILA, Philippines – Backdoor entry through the Philippines southern border has made the country susceptible to threats from foreign terrorists.

Thus, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has been working with its neighboring countries Indonesia and Malaysia to further strengthen its border security.

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Source: untvweb.com

Despite N350.4b annual security budget, oil facilities not safe

By Kingsley Jeremiah

Though the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and some International Oil Companies (IOCs) operating in the country stake as much as N350.4b for staff and asset protecting yearly, the nation is still losing over N1.6t to oil and gas theft every year.

Indeed, stakeholders in the sector are pointing accusing fingers at the nation’s military and a network of politically exposed individuals as being behind the growing losses of crude and refined petroleum products estimated at $42b (N15t) in the past 10 years.

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Source: guardian.ng

Nigeria to form border force with neighbors Benin and Niger to fight smuggling

Camillus Eboh

ABUJA (Reuters) – Nigeria and neighboring countries Benin and Niger have agreed to set up a joint border patrol force to tackle smuggling between the West African countries, they said in a communique on Thursday.

Foreign ministers from the three countries met to discuss smuggling following a decision by regional giant Nigeria, which has Africa’s largest economy and biggest population, to close its land borders to trade until at least Jan. 31, 2020.

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Source: reuters.com

Navy monitors pipelines with drones

By Precious Igbonwelundu

The Nigerian Navy (NN) on Thursday said drones and helicopters have been deployed for surveillance of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) pipelines from Atlas Cove, Apapa to Ejigbo and Mosimi depots in Lagos and Ogun states.

This deployment, the service said, was to beat pipeline vandals who loot petroleum products from ruptured pipes and then find ways to smuggle them out of the country.

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Source: thenationonlineng.net

Pirates have attacked 16 cargo vessels a month this year in Gulf of Mexico

And not a single arrest has been made

Pirate attacks in the southern part of the Gulf of Mexico have increased fourfold in just two years, triggering calls for the navy to bolster its presence in the area.

Between January and September, there was an average of 16 attacks per month on cargo ships off the coast of Ciudad del Carmen, Campeche, and Dos Bocas, Tabasco, according to the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF).

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Source: mexiconewsdaily.com

Kenya committed to meeting maritime framework expectations

His Excellency Hon. Uhuru Kenyatta the President and Commander-in -Chief of the the Kenya Defence Forces at the officiall launch of the Kenya Coast Guard Service (KCGS) in 2018

Multi agency cooperation remains the only way to address maritime crimes as it sends a strong and unified message to pirates and other organized criminals to cease their illegal trade.

Speaking during a Regional meeting on “Capacity Building Coordination for Enhanced Maritime Security in the West Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden and Donor Forum”at a Mombasa hotel, defense Cabinet Secretary Raychelle Omamo said progress has been made to enhance Maritime domain awareness through multi agency collaboration.

“I have observed directly the benefits that have accrued from the Maritime code of conduct appended in Djibouti by member states geared towards near eradication of piracy,” said Omamo.

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Source: kbc.co.ke

ReCAAP issues October 2019 report

INCIDENTS OF PIRACY AND ARMED ROBBERY AGAINST SHIPS IN ASIA IN OCTOBER 2019

A total of seven incidents of armed robbery against ships1 were reported in Asia in October 2019. No piracy2 incident was reported. There were also no reports of abduction of crew in the Sulu-Celebes Seas and waters off Eastern Sabah; and no hijacking of ships for theft of oil cargo reported in October 2019. However, the abduction of crew for ransom in the Sulu-Celebes Seas and waters off Eastern Sabah remains a serious concern. The ReCAAP ISC is also concerned about the increase in the number of incidents reported on board ships while underway in the Singapore Strait.

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Source: recaap.org