Nigeria’s Deep Blue Project: Who, What, and Why it Matters to the Gulf of Guinea

In a year of unabated insecurity in the Gulf of Guinea, one of the most welcomed maritime security-oriented acts of 2019 was Nigeria’s establishment of its Deep Blue Project. The Integrated National Security and Waterways Protection Infrastructure, otherwise known as the Deep Blue Project (DBP), aims to comprehensively address insecurity and criminality in Nigeria’s territorial waters and exclusive economic zone. The means of the DBP involve the acquisition of assets, (e.g., unmanned aerial vehicles and fast intervention vessels), development of infrastructure (e.g., new command and control centers), interagency information-sharing, and enhanced training of security services, among other things. According to the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), between August 2019 and June 2020, 80 percent of the necessary assets had been delivered and the Command, Control, Computer Communication, and Information Centre (C4i) was officially launched at NIMASA’s base in Kirikiri, Lagos.

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Source: stableseas.org

South Africa is ready to help Mozambique with its insurgency

South Africa is ready to help insurgency-hit Mozambique with support from its intelligence services or military, but its neighbour would first need to request that help, South African foreign minister Naledi Pandor said on Wednesday.

Pandor told a parliamentary committee that the Southern African Development Community (SADC) had asked Mozambique to provide a roadmap on the assistance it might need, which would then be deliberated upon before a course of action was chosen.

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Source: defenceweb.co.za

MDAD-GoG issues piracy alert

In an unusual step, MDAT-GoG, the agency which monitors piracy and maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea, has issued the following alert to shipping:

Description: Information from military source indicate an armed group from Rivers State, NIGERIA are planning a piracy attack against vessels in area D (especially Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea) since the 1st of September. It is likely the attack will occur at low tide, when the monitoring units are missing. Therefore, you are requested to be on maximum alert, to increase vigilance and surveillance and intensify intelligence both on the water and in the port. Systematically identify and search all suspicious boats coming from or leaving Nigeria. Report any suspicions and take into account any diversion.

New PH Navy assets to beef up capabilities vs. lawless elements

By Priam Nepomuceno

MANILA – The Philippine Navy (PN) on Tuesday said the arrival of new patrol assets will greatly enhance its patrol capabilities and prevent terrorists and other criminals from sneaking in.

“This situation will be best addressed through the modernization of our assets that we are now continuously pursuing, particularly the acquisition of the Philippine Fleet’s Fast Attack Interdiction Craft (FAIC) project and the Philippine Marine Corps’ Combat Raid and Interdiction Boats as well as its Small Unit Riverine Craft (SURC),” PN chief Vice Admiral Giovanni Carlo Bacordo said.

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Source: pna.gov.ph

India, Nigeria resolve to deepen cooperation to counter terrorism, piracy

India and Nigeria on Tuesday vowed to deepen cooperation to counter terrorism, insurgency and piracy while also boosting trade exchanges as External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held talks with his Nigerian counterpart Geoffrey Onyeama.

The two foreign ministers discussed the entire gamut of India-Nigeria bilateral relations via video conferencing.

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Source: business-standard.com

ESSZone curfew extended until September 17th

KOTA KINABALU-The confinement order in the waters of seven districts in the eastern zone of Sabah (ESSZone) which ended at 6 pm this day was extended until September 17.

Sabah Police Commissioner Datuk Hazani Ghazali said orders that prohibit the community in the area are involved out of the house or enter the waters of Tawau, Semporna, Kunak, Lahad Datu, Kinabatangan, Sandakan and Beluran to take effect from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. daily.

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Source: sinarharian.com.my

Maritime piracy in Mexico… a ticking time bomb.

MEXICO CITY (Informex) – Communication equipment, diving equipment, tools, wiring, metal caps, navigation instruments, watches, cell phones, and even wallets, stolen by groups of pirates from oil platforms and ships that sail in the probe of Campeche, Dos Bocas, and Veracruz, are offered through the Internet, as well as in local markets and flea markets in the State of Mexico, Tabasco, Queretaro and Iztapalapa in Mexico City.

According to a federal government report, organized crime groups operating at sea -to which Organización Editorial Mexicana had access- pirates have increased their illegal activity in Mexican seas for several years now, forcing the federal government to entrust the control of the country’s seaports to the Navy.

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Source: theyucatantimes.com

Italian marines won’t ‘suffer’ in Indian courts for killing Kerala fishermen, PCA ensures

Vanshaj Jain

The controversial case that involved the killing of two Kerala fishermen by two Italian marines onboard MV Enrica Lexie nearly eight years ago concluded on 31 May 2020, in the Permanent Court of Arbitration. The implications of this decision, however, have gone largely unnoticed in India. Originally, only excerpts of this decision were released to the public, with the full arbitral award subject to a confidentiality review by the two nations.

The final award, published inconspicuously some weeks ago sans fanfare, presents a troubling picture. Departing from established doctrine and riddled with contradictions, the PCA’s award seems almost at pains to contrive a legal path to ensure that the Italian marines accused of murder do not have to ‘suffer’ through a trial in Indian courtrooms.

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Source: theprint.in

Tema: Marine Security On Wild Hunt For Kidnappers Of 2 South Korean Sailors

Ghana’s Maritime Security has intensified a wild hunt to clamp down on some alleged kidnappers of two sailors believed to be South Korean nationals.

Authorities believe that the two abducted sailors were attacked by some unidentified gunmen on the waters off Ghana.

The victims were reportedly onboard a Ghanaian-flagged fishing vessel, AP 703 when it was attacked 200 kilometers southeast of the coastal city of Tema Friday night.

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Source: modernghana.com

Coalition forces in Yemen foil Houthi boatbomb attack

RIYADH: Saudi-led coalition forces in Yemen intercepted and destroyed a remote-controlled boat rigged with explosives in Hodeidah governorate on Sunday, the alliance’s joint command said.

In a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), the coalition said the bomb-laden boat was launched by the Iran-backed Houthi “terrorist” militia.

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Source: arabnews.com