Tag: Mexico

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

Oil rig workers defenseless in face of pirate attacks: ‘We fear for our lives’

The navy’s response time is slow so pirates have lots of time to make a getaway

Working on an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico is not for the faint-hearted.

Frequent attacks by modern day pirates on Pemex oil platforms have left some workers scared that they could be killed while working and living offshore.

“We fear for our lives,” said Martín Gómez, who has worked on state oil company rigs for almost three decades.

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Source: mexiconewsdaily.com

Pirates of the Bay of Campeche: Amateurs at work

By

The first thing to realize when considering any aspect of lawlessness in Mexico, including in Mexican and adjacent waters, is that Mexico is a thoroughly corrupt country.

The corruption is historic, endemic and permeates every aspect of Mexican life. This corruption is directly responsible for the lawlessness that has allowed criminal gangs of all stripes to take over daily life in Mexico, and now they have extended their range to offshore oil installations.

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Source: workboat.com

Call grows to flag Mexico’s Gulf as high-risk

By Rebecca Conan

Mexico’s Campeche sound should be declared a high-risk area by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) amid rising numbers of armed attacks on oil and natural gas vessels and platforms, maritime experts say.

“One of the main reasons for the increase in these attacks is weak ocean governance and the non-existence of maritime security policy,” Adriana Avila, academic at the World Maritime University, said in presenting her research today on the resurgence of organized crime in the Gulf of Mexico.

Avila, with Dimitrios Dalaklis, documented 14 cases of armed attacks against vessels or marine platforms during the first four months of 2020, with just three of those reported to international maritime agencies.

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Source: argusmedia.com

Offshore Supply Vessel Attacked off the Coast of Mexico

An offshore supply vessel has reportedly been attached in the waters near the Mexican state of Veracruz. This latest attack highlights the increasing dangers for seafarers in the Bay of Campeche area of the southern Gulf of Mexico.

Dryad Global is reported that on July 24 the Mexican-flagged offshore supply vessel the Natalie was boarded. The incident took place overnight with the vessel be boarded under the cover of darkness. At the time of the attack, the supply vessel was approximately 12 nautical miles northeast of Coatzacoalcos, Mexico. The Natalie is believed to be currently under the management of Cuxhavener Schiffahrtskontor (CSK) GmbH & Co., a shipping and port agency based in Cuxhaven, Germany.

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Source: maritime-executive.com

Navy reports zero oil rig thefts by pirates since May 15

More than 500 vessels have been inspected in Gulf of Mexico since operation began

The Mexican navy reports that it has reduced pirate attacks on vessels in the Bay of Campeche in the southern Gulf of Mexico to zero after a new operation was put in place on May 15.

In recent years the waters off the coasts of Campeche, Tabasco and Veracruz have been plagued by armed bandits who attack oil platforms, and commercial and supply vessels.

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Source: mexiconewsdaily.com

Piracy Surges in Gulf of Mexico, Prompting U.S. Warning

There have been scores of attacks in Mexican waters, taxing the country’s overstretched security forces.

By Kirk Semple

MEXICO CITY — The pirates appeared out of the darkness, leaping aboard the Italian-flagged supply ship off the coast of Mexico. Weapons drawn, the eight attackers worked swiftly, taking crew members hostage while they ransacked the vessel and snatched personal belongings and equipment.

Shots were fired, according to the United States Office of Naval Intelligence, and a security video showed a pirate gesticulating wildly with a pistol before the robbers sped away with their loot.

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Source: nytimes.com

Product Tanker Boarded and Robbed off Port-au-Prince

The product tanker Tosna Star was boarded and robbed by armed pirates off the port of Port-au-Prince, Haiti last Sunday, according to one of her crewmembers.

In an account posted on Facebook, crewmember Claudio Omar Benitez said that the Argentine crew of the Tosna Star has been stuck on board for months due to the novel coronavirus, unable to return to their homes. Their ship is currently at the anchorage off Port-au-Prince, and on Sunday, a group of armed Haitians boarded the tanker by the stern.

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Source: maritime-executive.com

Alert for pirates in the Gulf of Mexico

Five intrusions have been registered in the month of April; an one more in March. Cloaked men have been boarding boats and oil platforms; in the zone of Cantarell III, of the shores of Campeche and Tabasco. Between April 8 and 16, one attack has been recorded every other day.

Armed men, wearing masks are boarding boats linked to oil production in the middle of the night. They also climb metal structure bases until they reach personnel areas on oil platforms, to strip workers from their belongings at gun point: These men are modern pirates operating in the Gulf of Mexico in the XXI Century.

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Source: theyucatantimes.com

Offshore Accommodation Unit Attacked in Mexico. Crew Member Injured

Bartolomej Tomic, Editor

Offshore vessel provider Telford Offshore’s offshore accommodation and hook-up unit Telford 28 was attacked earlier this week while anchored in Mexico. One crew member was injured.

In an email sent to Offshore Engineer, Telford Offshore said: “We can confirm that the Telford 28 came under attack while anchored at Cuidad Del Carmen, Mexico on the evening of 14th April.”

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Source: oedigital.com