We cover piracy, armed robbery at sea, IUU fishing, maritime cyber security and maritime security issues.
By Bonita Ermac
ZAMBOANGA CITY – The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP)-Western Mindanao Command (WesMinCom) hosted the Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines Trilateral Security Conference at the Garden Orchid Hotel here, Thursday, March 5.
Representatives from the AFP general headquarters, their Indonesian and Malaysian counterparts, and the top WesMinCom officers and its subordinate units joined in the activity.
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Source: news.mb.com.ph
SULU: The Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom) bloated in Zamboanga City is checking the veracity that the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) has demanded PHP5 million ransom in exchange for the release of the physician they seized in Jolo, Sulu.
Lt. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana, Westmincom chief, reiterated the government’s “no ransom policy” in addressing the abduction of Dr Daniel Moreno by the ASG bandits. ASG bandits took Moreno on February 4 from his clinic cum residence in Barangay Walled City, Jolo.
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Source: dailyexpress.com.my
Yaroslav Mudry guard ship will search for a notional enemy’s submarine with a Ka-27 helicopter’s take-off while the anti-terror squads on the ships and vessels will practice various scenarios of fighting pirates in the Indian Ocean
MOSCOW, March 4. /TASS/. The Baltic Fleet guard ship Yaroslav Mudry has made a planned business call at the port of Colombo in Sri Lanka in its anti-piracy deployment to the Indian Ocean, the Fleet’s press office reported on Wednesday.
“During its anchorage in Colombo, the crew will replenish fresh water, fuel and food supplies and technically inspect the ship. After completing its visit that will last through March 6, the Baltic Fleet guard ship will continue its anti-piracy watch in the Indian Ocean,” the press office said in a statement.
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Source: lankaweb.com
KUNAK: Sabah police have cast a dragnet to detain the remaining ‘lookouts’ working hand-in-glove with kidnap-for-ransom groups (KFRG) in the Eastern Sabah Safety Zone (ESSzone).
Eastern Sabah Security Command (ESScom) Commander Datuk Hazani Ghazali said ‘Ops Gasak’ was launched to address the threats identified and which frequently occur in the hot spot areas of ESSzone.
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Source: theborneopost.com
Tradewinds today (March 4th) reports that two tankers and a LNG carrier took evasive action off the coast of Yemen to avoid a ‘cluster of suspicious skiffs’. One vessel reported an approach to around 130m, but none of the vessels was attacked.
The news comes during a period of apparent increased suspicious activity in the region, with reports of approaches off Djibouti and in the IRTC in the Gulf of Aden at the end of February, as well as the beginning of March.
So far, no agency is identifying the incidents as piracy-related, given that no obvious piracy ‘tripwires’ were reported (these would include sightings of weapons, ladders and so on). The news will not please the shipping industry, given the peace enjoyed by seafarers off the Somali coast in recent years.
Despite the fall in piracy, the nature of threats in the region continues to evolve, with rebels allied to the al Houthi cause threatening Saudi coalition vessels in the Red Sea, and the news that naval mines have been seen in the region; one report recently suggested that three fishing vessel crew were killed by a mine in early February.
Ridzwan Rahmat, Singapore – Jane’s Navy International
ZAMBOANGA CITY — The Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom) welcomed on Thursday the help of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) to rescue a physician seized by the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) bandits in Sulu.
Maj. Arvin John Encinas, Westmincom spokesperson, said they welcome any assistance from all stakeholders to rescue Dr. Daniel Moreno who was seized by ASG gunmen from his clinic in Barangay Walled City, Jolo, Sulu, on February 4.
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Source: pna.gov.ph
The Philippine Coast Guard says the captain of the Panama-flagged MV Harmony 6 declared that they left Changzhou, China, on February 10, when the ship’s real departure date was February 18. The ship arrived in La Union on February 23.
MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) is investigating a foreign cargo vessel for allegedly violating the Philippines’ 14-day quarantine rule amid the novel coronavirus outbreak.
PCG Spokesperson Commodore Armand Balilio said that PCG Commandant Admiral Joel Garcia ordered the investigation of the Panama-flagged MV Harmony 6, which arrived at Poro Point in La Union on February 23.
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Source: rappler.com
France this week declared the military component to its maritime surveillance and security mission in the strategic Strait of Hormuz fully operational.
Operation Agenor, the military component of the European-led Maritime Situation Awareness in the Strait of Hormuz (EMASOH) initiative, was declared at full operational capacity in a ceremony at a French base in the Abu Dhabi on February 25, the Ministry for the Armed Forces said on Thursday.
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Source: thedefensepost.com
Zr. Ms. De Ruyter is officially deployed in the Strait of Hormuz. There, the navy ship participates in the European security mission. This mission intends to reduce tensions in the area around Iran and the United Arab Emirates. Between these countries, the Strait of Hormuz is an important sailing route from the Persian Gulf to the Indian Ocean.
“This mission is about free passage,” Commander Naval Forces Deputy Admiral Rob Kramer told the crew. “Your presence in this area alone is incredibly important.” Something that also emphasized Foreign Minister Stef Blok. He was in the region to talk to authorities from Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, hoping to relieve tensions in the region.
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Source: navyrecognition.com
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