Why Pirates Are Giving Up On Oil

Piracy in some of the world’s most critical oil chokepoints is on the rise–but now, pirates are resorting back to another method of income generation better suited to times of lower oil prices: taking human captives.

Sometimes, black market oil prices just aren’t lucrative enough. In the days of $100 oil, oil theft was a hot commodity. Today, pirates are supplementing their stolen oil income with ransomed sailors, creating a whole new set of problems for the oil industry to tackle.

To continue reading, please click here.

Source: oilprice.com

Riyadh Hosts Meeting of Red Sea Coastal States

Fatehelrahman Yousif

Foreign ministers of Red Sea coastal states are set to kick off meetings in Riyadh next week to promote cooperation and economic integration and to ensure maritime security along this international waterway.

The meeting is expected to tackle issues on the responsibility of Red Sea states to prevent the intervention of any foreign country in the affairs of this sensitive area.

To continue reading, please click here.

Source: aawsat.com

Asia Minute: Piracy Surges in Southeast Asia

By Bill Dorman

2020 began with celebrations around the around the world. And as always, the Asia Pacific was the first region to ring in the New Year. But while fireworks an dparties marked the event — there’s also a ton of caution in one area for an unusual reason: pirates.

Pirates are making a bit of a comeback in one of the busiest commercial shipping ares of the world — in Southeast Asia. An industry group says the Strait of Malacca and the Strait of Singapore have experienced a rise in sea piracy in recent months, and a relative surge in 2019.

To continue reading, please click here.

Source: hawaiipublicradio.org

Maritime terrorism a threat, say experts amid rising piracy attacks

Fabian Koh

The increase in piracy attempts in the Singapore Strait is a cause for concern as terrorists could exploit the same loopholes to wreak havoc, say security experts.

Government officials have called for greater collaboration with regional neighbours to address the threat.

To continue reading, please click here.

Source: straitstimes.com

Another vessel targeted by pirates in Singapore Strait

Lee Hong Liang

Yet another ship was involved in a piracy incident on Wednesday in the Singapore Strait following five vessels already attacked by pirates earlier on 20 and 23 December, according to an update by ReCAAP Information Sharing Centre (ISC).

On 25 December, an incident occurred to tanker Stena Immortal while underway in the eastbound lane of Singapore Strait when six unarmed perpetrators were sighted in the engine room of the ship.

To continue reading, please click here.

Source: seatrade-maritime.com

Coast Guard requests press not to use ‘piracy’ for ‘robbery’

Bangladesh Coast Guard on Thursday requested journalists not to use the word ‘piracy’ or ‘pirate’ while referring to robbery incidents on inland and coastal waterways.

The word ‘piracy’ on sea refers to robbery or criminal incidents outside the maritime boundary of the country while the incidents handled by the coast guards occur along the coast of the country and is thus robbery, said a release.

To continue reading, please click here.

Source: newagebd.net

Crew assaulted as five ships attacked in Singapore Strait

Marcus Hand

Five vessels were attacked by pirates in the Eastbound lane of the Singapore Strait on 20 and 23 December with the crew on one assaulted, and tied on up on two, adding to a string of incidents in the busy shipping lane.

The tanker Jag Lalit was boarded by six perpetrators armed with knives at 23-25 hours in the Singapore Strait while bound for Kaohsiung, Taiwan, according to the ReCAAP Information Sharing Centre (ISC). Members of the crew were assaulted in the attack with the 4^th engineer punched in the face and the chief engineer suffering bruising to his neck with a gold chain stolen from him.

To continue reading, please click here.

Source: seatrade-maritime.com

Philippine troops rescue 2 Indonesians held by militants

MANILA: Philippine forces rescued two of three Indonesian hostages Sunday after a gun battle with their captors from the Muslim militant group Abu Sayyaf in the southern jungles, a regional military commander said.

A soldier and a militant were killed in two successive firefights at dawn that allowed troops to rescue the two Indonesians in the mountainous hinterlands off Panamao town in Sulu province, said Lt Gen Cirilito Sobejana.

To continue reading, please click here.

Source: bangkokpost.com

4 kidnap victims remain in Abu Sayyaf hands as Asian neighbors meet to tackle security in Sulu-Celebes Seas

MARITIME AUTHORITIES from neighboring Asian countries are meeting in Manila on Dec. 18–19 to tackle security in the Sulu and Celebes Seas, where the Abu Sayyaf terror group is the biggest threat, according to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).

The gathering is attended by representatives from the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, and China. It is convened by the PCG and the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP) Information Sharing Centre (ISC).

To continue reading, please click here.

Source: bworldonline.com

Seoul likely to send troops to Strait of Hormuz

By Kim So-hyun

The South Korean government is likely to send military forces to join a US-led multinational coalition to defend the Strait of Hormuz early next year.

According to military sources, the 4,400-ton destroyer Wang Geon of the Cheonghae anti-piracy unit is scheduled to leave Busan late this month to relieve the destroyer Kang Gam-chan which is currently operating in the Gulf of Aden.

To continue reading, please click here.

Source: koreaherald.com