Contact Group On Piracy Might Be Extended To Include Gulf Of Guinea – Russian Envoy To UN

The geographic mandate of the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia (CGPCS) might be broadened to combat piracy in the Gulf of Guinea, Russia‘s Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Dmitry Polyanskiy said during UN Security Council consultations on the situation in the Central African region.

“Our country has had a positive experience in international efforts to fight piracy in the northwestern part of the Indian Ocean as part of the Contact Group on this fight off the coast of Somalia. We hope that this experience might be useful for resolving similar issues in the Gulf of Guinea, including in the context of possibly broadening the geographic mandate of the Contact Group to include the Gulf of Guinea,” Polyanskiy said on Tuesday.

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Source: urdupoint.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

Pirates on rampage on Port Harcourt waterways in Rivers

Okafor Ofiebor

Port Harcourt – Suspected sea pirates on Monday attacked seafarers travelling on Port Harcourt-Bille waterways in Akuku-Toru Local Government Area of Rivers State, injuring scores of passengers and robbing them of money, goods worth millions of naira, including the hijacking of their Commercial boats.

A Bille Community leader, Adokiye Bibi, who confirmed the latest pirates’ attack also stated that between Saturday, June 1 to Tuesday June 4, over seven commercial boats have been attacked by sea pirates and hijacked from their owners.

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Source: pmnewsnigeria.com

Maritime Security News: The Nigerian authorities regularly complain that incidents of armed robbery on Delta waterways are wrongly described as incidents of piracy. Looks like the message hasn’t filtered through to the media…

Place Esscom under police, says former army man

Robin Augustin

PETALING JAYA: A retired army officer has suggested that the Eastern Sabah Security Command (Esscom) be placed under the purview of the police, amid reports that the initiative launched six years ago to enhance security in the area will be restructured.

Speaking to FMT, Lieutenant Colonel (Rtd) Ahmad Ghazali Abu Hassan, who is also a former professor at Universiti Pertahanan Nasional Malaysia’s Department of Strategic Studies, said this is because Esscom’s core duties deal with the eradication of cross-border crimes.

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Source: freemalaysiatoday.com

Hack The Sea: Bridging the gap between hackers and the maritime sector

Zeljka Zorz

There’s a not a lot of researchers probing the security of computer systems underpinning the maritime industry.

The limitations that keep that number low are obvious: both the specialized knowledge and equipment is difficult to come by. And, as Ken Munro of UK-based Pen Test Partners told us a year ago, not many people move from shipping into pentesting (and into information security in general).

But things are looking up for those who are interested: at this year’s DEF CON conference in Las Vegas, a maritime hacking village dubbed Hack The Sea will welcome them and offer all kinds of help.

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Source: .helpnetsecurity.com

Thales’ Gecko system to combat pirates in the Caribbean

David Ing, Madrid – Jane’s Navy International

The Jamaica Defence Force is to acquire a Thales Gecko electro-optical tracking sensor system as part of a wider national programme to counter sea pirates, the company announced on 30 May.

The system will be used in conjunction with the Coast Watcher 100 radar, which is also being supplied by Thales, to help protect against “contraband operations in difficult scenarios”, including monitoring in high seas and heavy rainfall conditions, and providing additional cover from low-altitude air threats.

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Source: janes.com

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

Senate approves Philippines-Indonesia maritime boundary treaty

Camille Elemia

Under the treaty, there will be a clear boundary between the two nations, helping Filipino and Indonesian fishermen to operate peacefully and properly

MANILA, Philippines – The Senate on Monday, June 3, concurred with the ratification of the treaty that draws a boundary between the overlapping exclusive economic zones (EEZs) of the Philippines and Indonesia.

Voting 20-0, senators adopted Senate Resolution No. 1048, which concurs with the historic agreement signed in May 2014. It was the Philippines’ first maritime boundary treaty.

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Source: rappler.com

MARITIME BOUNDARY DEAL. The map shows the exclusive economic zone boundary between the Philippines and Indonesia. Photo from the Department of Foreign Affairs

Kenya bans fishing close to Somalia border

By KALUME KAZUNGU

Kenya has banned fishing activities off the Coast near the Somalia border over security concerns.

Lamu County Commissioner Joseph Kanyiri says all fishermen are prohibited from carrying out their activities in Ras Kamboni and any other areas past Kiunga Town, all of which lie close to the Kenya-Somalia border.

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Source: theeastafrican.co.ke

Indian Navy steps up anti-piracy patrol

Dinakar Peri

In an expansion of its Mission Based Deployments (MBD) in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), the Navy deployed its P-8I long-range maritime surveillance aircraft for anti-piracy sorties from Salalah in Oman to patrol the Gulf of Aden.

“Long-range maritime reconnaissance Anti-Submarine Warfare aircraft P-8I undertakes anti-piracy patrol sorties from Salalah in the Gulf of Aden and other piracy prone areas in keeping with our MBD philosophy, to keep IOR safe and secure for all,” Navy spokesperson Captain D.K. Sharma said in a tweet on Saturday.

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Source: thehindu.com