Philippines: Kidnappers Demand Ransom for British Man and Wife

The gunmen who abducted a British national and his Filipina wife have demanded 50 million pesos (almost U.S. $1 million) in exchange for their freedom, a Philippine military official said Thursday.

This came as the Philippine Coast Guard announced it had deployed its anti-terror unit and a high-speed boat to beef up the military’s search-and-rescue mission in the porous coastlines of the Zamboanga peninsula in the southern Philippines.

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Source: benarnews.org

Trawler Fined $1 Million in Ghana

A trawler has been apprehended in Ghanaian waters having caught at least 13.9 tonnes of small pelagic fish in a single day, using illegal nets.

The small-mesh nets found on board – which are illegal for an industrial trawler – indicate that the vessel was specifically targeting small pelagics. Analysis of the catch also showed that a significant proportion were undersized juveniles.

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Source: maritime-executive.com

MPA Tables Major Cybersecurity Collaboration

By Max Schwerdtfeger

The Maritime Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) has tabled a proposal to form and lead an initiative to increase maritime security called the ‘Port Authorities Chief Information Officer Cybersecurity Network” (PACC-Net).

The proposal was made at the 5^th Edition of the Port Authorities (PAR) 2019 and the initiative will look to enhance cybersecurity awareness in the maritime sector and facilitate early sharing of cyber-attack information to counter threats.

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Source: porttechnology.org

Iran Says US, Saudi, Israel behind ‘Cowardly’ Tanker Attack

Damage seen on MT Sabiti, images via Iranian Oil Ministry

Iran says Israel, the US, and Saudi Arabia might be behind the recent “cowardly” attack on its oil tanker in the Red Sea, to which Iran will definitely give a crushing response.

Ali Shamkhani, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said on Wednesday video evidence had provided leads about the incident. “A special committee has been set up to investigate the attack on Sabiti… with two missiles and its report will soon be submitted to the authorities for decision,” Shamkhani noted.

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Source: ifpnews.com

Nigerian Anti-corruption Agency Arraigns 26 For Illegal Oil Deal

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has arraigned 26
suspected pirates alongside a company, Sam Pam Nigeria Limited, and a
vessel, MV Neso II, before Justice Mohammed Liman of the federal high
court in Ikoyi.

The suspects were arraigned on two counts bordering on illegal dealing
in petroleum products.

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Source: saharareporters.com

Zarif: Attack on Iranian oil tanker was state-sponsored

EHRAN – Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif announced on Tuesday that “one or more countries” had directed or facilitated the Friday morning attack on the Iranian SABITI oil tanker off the Saudi coast in the Red Sea.

Zarif also said the raid on SABITI was a “state-sponsored act”. He added, “According to received intelligence the Friday assault on the Iranian oil tanker was a complicated move done by one or more states.”

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Source: tehrantimes.com

Shipping firms still pay $2,000 per day for protection of crew, vessel

By Godwin Oritse

Despite the abolition of the controversial safe anchorage area by the Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, where vessels and crew members wait before they proceed to berths, shipping companies still pay $2,000 per day to operators of the area.

Speaking Vanguard Maritime Report at a maritime stakeholders meeting in Lagos last week, Mr. Mark Wash, Executive Director, ENL Consortium, operators of berth A, B and C at the Apapa port, confirmed that NPA has told shipping firms to stop paying for protection at the ‘safe anchorage’.

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Source: vanguardngr.com

NIWA unmasks sea robbers hide-out at Iddo waterfront

By Oko Ebuka

In a bid to keep the Nigerian waterways safe from robbers, the National Inland Waterways Authority, NIWA, Lagos Area office, recently, destroyed shanties on Lagos channels around Iddo waterfront to secure the area for navigation.

The exercise followed petitions and reports of criminal activities and presence of suspected pirates who hide in the shanties where they plan and launch attacks against legal occupants of waterfront facilities as well as take down boats and vessels transporting goods across the channel.

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Source: vanguardngr.com

Gulf of Guinea: Security team comes alive in 3 months

By Godwin Oritse

In a bid to secure oil and gas operations as well as fishery activities in the Gulf of Guinea, countries in the region have agreed to set up an expert working team that would implement resolutions reached at the just concluded Gobal Maritime Security Conference, GMSC, held in Abuja, last week.

Disclosing this to newsmen at the end of the conference, Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, Dr. Dakuku Peterside, said that the team will be established within the next three months.

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Source: vanguardngr.com

Cyber Hack: Fortifying Maritime, Port Security

Andrew Kinsey

The United States Coast Guard Marine Safety Alert 06-19 (USCG MSA 06-19) outlines a February 2019 incident aboard a deep draft commercial vessel that called on the Port of New York / New Jersey after experiencing a significant cyber incident that impacted their shipboard network.

The Safety Alert stated in part:
“An interagency team of cyber experts, led by the Coast Guard, responded and conducted an analysis of the vessel’s network and essential control systems. The team concluded that although the malware significantly degraded the functionality of the onboard computer system, essential vessel control systems had not been impacted. Nevertheless, the interagency response found that the vessel was operating without effective cybersecurity measures in place, exposing critical vessel control systems to significant vulnerabilities.”

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Source: marinelink.com